How to Make the Most of Supervision
Many mental health agencies and group practices offer their provisionally licensed counselors and social workers free supervision as part of their benefits package. When something is offered for free, however, we can sometimes take it for granted. In this article, we’ll talk with you about the ways that you can truly appreciate and maximize your experience in supervision. We’ll be talking about this from the perspective of a supervisor and supervisee.
From a Supervisor’s Perspective
1.Talk about your mistakes
It’s natural to want to share about the times you got it right, but the most learning comes from processing moments where you felt like a flop. Supervision is not about proving you don’t need help, it is about growing beyond your current capacities, and this is only possible when you can acknowledge learning edges and be vulnerable. Your supervisor has your best interest at heart, and wants to build trust with you to create a safe learning environment.
2. Come prepared
Time flies during supervision, and if you don’t come prepared with a game plan, you won’t be able to take full advantage of the face time with your supervisor. I encourage supervisees to come with an agenda, a case they are struggling with, and/or an aspect of the work they are feeling challenged by. I also encourage supervisees to keep a running list of questions they have or issues they run into throughout the week, because it’s easy for those things to slip through the cracks. Common topics to cover in supervision include safety/ethics, administrative questions, clinical issues, self-awareness and self-care, and it can be helpful to organize questions, and supervision notes based on these areas.
3. Ask for what you need
Your supervisor isn’t a mindreader, and doesn’t know what your needs are unless you express them. It’s ok to ask for more feedback; “what did you think of my most recent intake note?” You can ask for more specifics; “how would you say that in session?” It’s ok to seek perspective; “what was your experience like when you were new to the field?” You can ask for processing time; “I need to think on that a little more- can I follow-up with you about that next time?” You can also ask for help with conceptualization; “what made you think about a trauma disorder instead of a depressive diagnosis?” Your supervisor can be a wealth of knowledge, but won’t know how to best support you without active communication!
4. Do your homework
There are many ways in which therapy and supervision are parallel processes; we tell our clients that they will get out of therapy what they put into it, and the same is true for supervision. Your supervisor is a valuable resource, but isn’t your only resource. You can leverage your time with your supervisor by doing your own legwork and researching interventions, theoretical frameworks, different modalities, consulting the DSM 5, and learning more about different populations. This will allow you to build on a foundation from which you can refine your understanding and discuss application with your supervisor’s support.
From a Supervisee’s Perspective
1. Be vulnerable
We know how important regard is as therapists. Therapeutic alliance is the number one indicator of client success. I think that can hold true within supervision as well. I felt seen and heard; as though there was unconditional positive regard within my supervision at LifeSpring. My supervisor is kind and warm. She also offers challenges, alternative perspectives, areas for growth, and a wealth of knowledge. I encourage you to come to supervision authentically and vulnerably. It’s worth it to establish such a supervisory alliance.
2. Prepare throughout the week
To make the most of supervision, it can’t be something you think about once a week for an hour. Similarly to what we ask of clients, it’s helpful to keep a running list of topics you want to discuss to make the most out of your time with your supervisor. Mine interchanged between a piece of paper on my desk and a Word document. That list contained varied concerns:
Questions regarding diagnosis
Case consultation
Finding the right words to say or write what I mean. Modeling has been such a helpful element of supervision for me.
My own insecurities within my work.
Questions/recommendations regarding continuing education options.
Community resource recommendations.
Administrative questions.
If a bullet point is resolved prior to supervision it’s just as easy to cross it off, but better to make note of it. I also left room under each presenting issue to write down my supervisor’s thoughts.
3. Keep a document of valuable supervisory content to look back on/access
You will have many “a-ha” moments in supervision, but it can be hard to keep those new insights with you amidst your busy day-to-day. The benefit to having a Word document serving as an active record of supervision take-aways is that you can copy and paste key points into a long-term, overarching list. My list is broken down into diagnoses, treatment modalities, modeled verbiage, ideas based on presenting issues, etc.
4. Track your supervision hours for licensure
It takes years to accrue the supervision hours and clinical client hours necessary to apply for clinical licensure, and while your supervisor can be a resource on strategy, it falls to each clinician to maintain their own records. Because you will be tracking these hours over a span of time, it’s essential to be organized about it! Many electronic health record systems (EHRs) provide service hour reports, it may be helpful to check and see if yours does. Because of specific licensing requirements, it will be important to track when and for how long you met for supervision, who you met with/ their credentials, and whether it was for a group supervision or individual. This is how I have kept track of my hours with the hope that it will support you in thinking about how you would like to go about it:
It is also important to keep a record of your supervision sessions. It is worth making note of any administrative and clinical topics covered, discussions about safety and ethics, and action steps identified for either supervisor or supervisee. This is helpful in your clinical growth, but also serves an important function if your records are audited as part of your licensure application process.
Each clinician has their own way of logging hours, but I do recommend doing so as you go, and in a structured way to avoid a sense of overwhelm. It also feels good to see the hours grow, moving closer and closer to your goal!
To make the most of supervision, it’s important that you and your supervisor work together as a team! Your supervisor is there to support you and your clients, and doing so requires trust, good communication, preparation and follow-through. While we sometimes hear about therapists who have had unsupportive supervisory experiences, our goal at LifeSpring is to make sure that our therapists are accessing quality supervision. We know that if our therapists feel supported and taken care of, their clients will then too!
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