Clinical Supervision – A MUST for All Mental Health Professionals
As a licensed psychologist and Full Professor at a local university, I am quite passionate about the topic of clinical supervision. I am privileged to supervise psychologists, clinical mental health counselors and social workers at all levels of clinical practice, and I am honored to teach the practicum and internship courses in school and clinical mental health counseling masters programs for over twenty years. These experiences have solidified for me the reality that ALL mental health professionals need supervision regardless of their level of expertise or certification.
Some believe that supervision is needed only for mental health professionals in training or for those “novice” professionals on a limited permit, seeking licensure, or very newly licensed. Still others believe that supervision is nothing more than discussing problems or crises with their clients. While supervision is warranted, and in most cases required, at the early stages of training, the process of supervision is far more comprehensive, nuanced, and meaningful than the above statements communicate.
Clinical supervision is an opportunity to explore, learn, process and continue growing both personally and professionally. Of course, there is a critical distinction between therapy and supervision. In this context, personal growth speaks to the individual’s gaining more awareness of their areas of strength, areas for growth and any barriers that may be hindering growth in their professional identity, knowledge base and skill sets. This opportunity for growth, in turn, may be generalized and affect other areas of life.
Another benefit of supervision is assistance in meaningfully and professionally navigating transference and countertransference issues. In working with supervisees, I assist them in recognizing that their work with clients unavoidably involves transference and countertransference at different points, and is not at all indicative of being a poor professional. Rather, what determines the effectiveness of a mental health professional is being aware when these processes occur and then dealing with them. Of course when a counselor is not aware and does not address transference or countertransference, this may be harmful to the client. Supervision is the perfect opportunity to process such issues and devise a plan on how to deal with them.
Most clinicians would agree that supervision provides a forum to discuss clinical issues, explore different interventions, and incorporate relevant ethical and organizational guidelines. Over the years, I have taken part in a meaningful transformation in the supervision process as a whole. In my work, I integrate a developmental perspective bearing in mind the stages of professional competence of a clinician, his or her areas of expertise and work environment, as well as meaningful and seemingly rapid changes to the profession as a whole. I integrate a holistic psychological perspective that incorporates the now scientifically validated knowing that the mind (brain) and the body are inextricably tied. This understanding shapes both my clinical and supervisory work through the integration of modalities including mindfulness based cognitive therapy, internal family systems, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing and brain spotting strategies. The integration of body based resources and interventions has added a meaningful dimension to supervision and to the continued development of mental health professionals with whom I work.
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