Paternalism in supervisory relationships

Abstract

Abstract Supervision is a vital part of practice for many social workers. In many settings, social workers must provide administrative as well as clinical supervision. Social work supervision is filled with ethical dilemmas due to the unequal power relationship between supervisor and supervisee. Charles Levy proposes 5 principles to prevent the misuse of supervisory power. These principles may create another dilemma which stems not from a selfish disregard for the supervisee but from a sincere desire to do what is best. This article will describe and analyze paternalism as it relates to supervision using two case examples and W. D. Ross's theory of ethics.