Supervision Services
We provide clinical supervision to seasoned therapists, peer supervision for supervisors, and support in supervision for practitioners with lived experience and Peer support workers.
2021
We provide clinical supervision to seasoned therapists, peer supervision for supervisors, and support in supervision for practitioners with lived experience and Peer support workers.
Clinical supervision refers to a principled and contractual relationship, in which the supervisor assists the supervisee to reflect on their clinical work with patients/clients (Gilbert and Evans, 2000). Depending on the purpose and current need, supervision is likely to focus on: skills training; theorising and case conceptualisation; clinical, professional, and ethical reflection; mentoring; professional development; and personal support(Watkins, 2012).
Clinical supervision has been widely adopted as an essential part of the training experience in psychiatry (MacDonald and Ellis, 2012)psychology (Gonsalvez & Milne, 2010) and other mental health professions(Schofield and Pelling, 2002). Psychotherapists, in particular, view ongoing clinical supervision as the principal method for improving professional competence (Stevens, Goodyear and Robertson, 1998). Many undertake supervision long after professional requirements are met (Orlinsky and Rønnestad, 2005).
While it has long been advocated as part of ongoing professional development (Watkins, 2012; Stoltenberg, 2005) it has more recently become a mandated career-long requirement for both psychiatry and psychology in Australia (Psychology Board of Australia, 2018d; Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists,2018).
Clinical supervision has a vital role in effective counselling and medical practice, across a variety of professions, including –but not limited to – counsellors, psychologists, mental health nurses, social workers, psychiatrists, youth workers and community development workers.Studies demonstrate the importance of and the need for clinical supervision,
In the context of the counselling profession in Australia, supervision is a widespread practice that contributes to the professionalisation of the discipline and is experienced as extremely important and beneficial. In the context of the results of the survey “Pragmatics of Supervision: Overview of Findings ACA 2020” the survey reiterates the importance of the supervision alliance in the successful practice of supervision, as encompassing the bond, goals and task.
The participants recognise that there are both perceived and experienced benefits from supervision. These range across the immediate, applied learning relating to direct practice through to a larger development benefit for the person of the professional.
Without appropriate Supervision, there is no accountability to the professional health provider, consumer or for the standards of practice of therapists. Supervision is fundamental to good, safe and rewarding counselling practice.
Supervision is a complex activity, occurring in a variety of settings across the health field:nursing, social work, teaching, psychology and counselling. Its efficacy is predicated on the quality of the psychotherapeutic relational exchange between supervisor and supervisee. The supervisory relationship is arguably the most critical factor in clinical supervision – demonstrably more so than the supervisory models employed in session (Kilminster & Jolly, 2000).
The practice of clinical supervision is an essential aspect of effective mental health service delivery – arguably the most important (Inman, Hutman, Pendse, Devdas et al.,2014). As a mechanism of support fora mental health practitioner, it ameliorates risk for the practitioner and the client by introducing and improving clinical standards, reducing clinician stress and burnout and ultimately enhancing the quality of consumer care. As such, clinical supervision has been deemed essential to mental health professionals across all disciplines (Inman, Hutman, Pendse, Devdas et al., 2014), recommended by government bodies for mental health service delivery professional and mandated for medical trainees.
Regardless of the respective definition, the principal purpose of it is shared across disciplines;
Evidence suggests that irrespective of professional and theoretical background, supervisors engage in very similar supervisory practices. There appear to be far more similarities than differences across many professional groups (such as social work, psychology, speech pathology and occupational therapy) in the aims, processes, and methods of supervision.
Mental health professionals face unique demands and stressors in their work, resulting in high rates of burnout and distress (Bressi, Porcellana, Gambini, Madia, et al.,2009; Fothergill, Edwards and Burnard, 2004).
Clinical supervision is regarded as a critical method for helping to avoid burnout and maintain professional wellbeing (Watkins, 2012) as well as for holding mental health professionals accountable (Watkins, 2012).
The benefits of supervision for the supervisee include the felt sense of support, feedback and opportunities to debrief (Inman, Hutman, Pendse, Devdas, et al., 2014) and a perceived improvement in clinical care delivered (Australian College ofNursing, 2016; Winstanley & White, 2010) but the majority of participants have no access to or do not receive supervision despite professional practice regulations requiring them to do so(Department of Health, 2018).
References:
Australian College of Nursing.(2016). Clinical supervision background paper. Retrieved from https://www.aasw.asn.au/document/item/6027
Bressi, C., Porcellana, M., Gambini, O., Madia, L., etal. (2009), Burnout among psychiatrists in Milan: a multi center survey. Psychiatric Services, vol.60,pp.985-988.
Department ofHealth. (2013). National Practice Standards for the Mental Health Workforce.Retrieved from https://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/content/5D7909E82304E6D2CA257C430004E877/$File/wkstd13.pdfhttps://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/content/5D7909E82304E6D2CA257C430004E877/$File/wkstd13.pdf
Gonsalvez, C. & Milne,D.L. (2010). Clinical supervisor training in Australia; A review of current problems and possible solutions.Australian Psychologist, vol.45(4)
Inman, A., Hutman, H., Pendse,A, Devdas, L. et al. (2014). Current trends concerning supervisors, supervisees and clients in clinical supervision. In Watkins, E. & Milne, D.The Wiley International Handbook for Clinical Supervision (Eds), p.61
Kilminster, S. & Jolly, B.(2000). Effective supervision in clinical practice settings. Medical Education, vol.31(10), pp.827-840.
MacDonald, J. & Ellis, P. (2012) Supervision in psychiatry: terra incognita? CurrentOpinions in Psychiatry, vol.25, pp.322-326.
Orlinsky, D. & Rønnestad, M. (2005). How psychotherapists develop: A study of therapeutic work and professional growth. American Psychological Association
Psychology Board of Australia.(2018d). Continuing professional development and registration standard, Retrieved from http://www.psychologyboard.gov.au/Standards-and-Guidelines/Registration-Standards.aspx
Schofield, M. & Pelling, N. (2002). Supervision of counsellors. Supervision in the Helping Professions: a Practical Approach,Sydney: Pearson Education Australia.
Stevens, D., Goodyear, R. & Robertson, P. (1998).Supervisor development: an exploratory study in changes in stance and emphasis.Clinical Supervision, vol.19, pp.73-88.
Stoltenberg, C. (2005). Enhancing professiona lcompetence through developmental approaches to supervision. AmericanPsychologist, vol.60, pp.857-864.
The Bouverie Centre. (2011).Clinical supervision guidelines. Retrieved from http://www.clinicalsupervisionguidelines.com.au.
Watkins, C. (2012). Contemporary visions of psychotherapy supervision: sharing perspective, identifying need, and charting possibility. Journal of ContemporaryPsychotherapy, vol.42, pp.125-127
In partnership with the Clinical Counselling Centre we will be offering a free OPD training video of your choice for every new supervision client.
Find out about the extensive range of videos here: http://www.clinicalcounsellors.com.au
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