Clinical supervision

Respectful and supportive professional development for clinicians.

We have provided clinical supervision to many practitioners across a wide range of age, experience, discipline and practice contexts. We prioritise trust building, and employ a strengths based approach and collaborative approach. We utilise Tony Williams’ useful schema for supervisors as spanning the functions of facilitator, educator, evaluator and consultant.

Professional supervision is a reflective practice process that allows clinicians the opportunity to clarify and resolve, with an experienced fellow practitioner, issues and dilemmas presented by their clients and workplaces. This process has been found to broaden perspectives on dealing with clients, maintain clinical skills, enhance work performance, reduce risk of burnout, develop knowledge, expand professional links and increase job satisfaction. Leading practice suggests that supervision be regular, particularly in the case of newer practitioners and sole practitioners.

Ideal supervisors are those who respect, support and nurture supervisees’ resources and strengths, in a learning environment conducive to professional development. This is a process that relies on honesty, transparency and trust.

In entering supervision, we encourage participants to consider these key questions:

• what are my goals in seeking supervision?

• in what specific areas do I want to develop?

Topics discussed in supervision are open ended but may include:

• assessment and treatment planning

• risk and crisis management

• cross-cultural issues

• practitioner self care and wellbeing

• workload, time and stress management

• trauma and vicarious trauma exposure

• grief and loss

• workplace/ organisational issues

• change management

• critical incidents

• training needs

• burnout and compassion fatigue

• communication