As a clinical training student, new doctoral level clinician, or a master’s level therapist, clinical supervision is an important part of learning and professional development. However, knowing how to get the most out supervision isn’t always clear. When I was new in my clinical training, I recall how nervous I was in supervision and the fears I had around “not knowing” or “making a mistake.” While these feelings are a normal experience for developing clinicians, they can also create a barrier to effectively using supervision. Conversely, experienced clinicians who have had numerous hours of clinical supervision may begin to dismiss the value and utility of supervision in their continued professional development. Regardless of the stage of your career or level of professional development, be it your first practicum or your tenth year in private practice, in order to get the most out of clinical supervision, preparation is key!
Arrive with an Agenda
In order to arrive to your supervision session with an agenda you may consider jotting down notes throughout the week to set the stage for what you’d like to discuss. Just 2 or 3 reminders can serve as a good lead-off. Most importantly, have in your mind what your needs are for the clinical supervision session. This will not only be helpful to frame the conversation but also, if things get off-track you can bring your agenda back to the focus. It’s very difficult to make sure your learning and professional development needs are being met unless you identity them for yourself, first.
Be Open and Honest
Remember that supervision is often focused on what we can do better, but it doesn’t mean that what you are already doing is necessarily wrong; it may help to think of it as different. Be honest about your weak points and growth edges. Ask for alternatives to approaches you have tried, and seek constructive feedback. Aside from focusing on what we can be doing differently, be mindful of what is going well. Discussing skills and processes that you are engaging effectively can lead to deepening and expanding your understanding and application of these concepts. Lastly, don’t be afraid to discuss your own feelings and internal reactions to clients and session dynamics. The opportunity to explore these aspects of ourselves and our work with clients can be one of the greatest benefits of clinical supervision toward our learning and professional development.
Be Flexible
Be prepared to take just a few minutes with a concept or agenda item that you think may take the whole session and vice versa. Additionally, while it’s best to be responsible for creating your own supervision agenda, your supervisor may also have some items to discuss, and you may not get to everything in one session. Jot down a reminder to circle back to something in the following session if it’s important.
Not Everything Need be Client Related
Don’t forget to discuss things that may not be directly client-related, such as an interaction with a colleague, a relevant news item, or what you learned at a recent conference or workshop you attended. Supervision is also a great opportunity to build in a weekly check-in about your own self-care.
Whitney Begeman, PsyD (PsyD 2015)
Resident MiSPP Blog Writer
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