The importance of supervision
How often do you find yourself leaving a session and wondering “did I do a good job?”
Or perhaps you have a complex caseload that leads you sometimes feeling emotionally drained?
I would imagine all therapist’s have had those experiences. It’s a natural part of working in a career that attracts highly caring and compassionate individuals. It’s important to have a means of discussing those knotty issues, and clinical supervision is the core means of meeting that need.
I’ve just completed the three foundation levels of In Tandem’s “Are You Getting Enough?” clinical supervision training, and any clinician I’ve had a conversation with in the last 8 months since beginning these courses will have heard me talk about how valuable each level has been.
With the reality of busy clinical practice, competing demands and growing caseloads, it can feel like supervision is the thing we can easily take off our “to-do” list. However, this statement from Hawkins and Shohet (2012) stands out to me to counter this thought process:
“Lack of supervision can contribute to feelings of staleness, rigidity and defensiveness which can very easily occur in professions that require us to give so much of ourselves.”
I would encourage you to reframe supervision as an opportunity:
· to discuss daily competing needs and how you are managing them
· to talk about your professional development goals
· to have space to discuss how you are coping with the emotional load of being a speech and language therapist
Remember, good supervision benefits not only you as a clinician, but in turn benefits those you are working with. You can leave supervision sessions feeling listened to, energised and motivated. You may also feel like you have been gently challenged at times, but that is often where the greatest ideas emerge.
If you are interested in developing your own supervision skills, I highly recommend you look at the In Tandem website. I would encourage everyone to at least complete level 1, it alone is eye-opening as to what good quality supervision should be.
As an independent therapist, I am delighted to be in a position where I can offer clinical supervision to a small number of speech and language therapists. I have supervised therapists and rehabilitation assistants at all stages of their careers. If you would like to have a conversation about possibly beginning a supervision journey with me, do get in touch and we can explore your needs.
Clinical supervision is not just where we review our work; it is where we protect our capacity to remain thoughtful, compassionate and effective within it.
Further reading:
Hawkins P. & Shohet, R. (2012) Supervision in the Helping Professions (4th Edition). O.U.P.