Paving the Way for Meaningful Supervision: Empowering Supervisees to Raise Concerns Early
As a clinical supervisor for school counsellors, one of my primary goals is to create a safe and supportive environment where school counsellors feel empowered to openly discuss their concerns, challenges, and experiences. Effective clinical supervision is a collaborative process and it's important for supervisees to take an active role in shaping the agenda according to their needs.
The Option to Flag Issues in Advance
In the dynamic and often emotionally demanding field of counselling, supervisees may encounter a wide range of situations that could benefit from being discussed in supervision. These situations may include challenging client cases, ethical dilemmas, personal struggles, or even traumatic incidents. While it's not always necessary, there can be advantages to supervisees flagging such issues or concerns ahead of our scheduled supervision sessions.
Reflecting on the Benefits
Throughout my experience, I've found that when supervisees take the initiative to raise an issue or area they'd like to focus on beforehand, it can enhance the effectiveness of our time together. By having that advance notice, I'm able to thoughtfully prepare resources, reflective exercises, or specific discussion points that could be relevant and supportive.
For example, a supervisee once informed me ahead of time about a child protection case involving the police interviewing a student. With that context, I was better equipped to gather appropriate materials and revise protocols to help the supervisee navigate the legal, ethical and emotional complexities surrounding the situation.
In another instance, a supervisee reached out beforehand to share they were feeling overwhelmed and in need of a session on self-care. This allowed us to dedicate significant time in our next session to exploring and maintaining a beautiful reflective exercise to clear space on an internal level.
In yet another instance, a supervisee shared that they were experiencing the impact of a personal issue that was affecting their ability to fully engage with their clients. This advanced notice enabled me to gather relevant materials and tailor our session to address the challenges of maintaining professional boundaries while working through personal difficulties.
While these advance flags can be incredibly valuable, they are by no means a requirement. The supervisory process remains flexible and driven by the supervisee's needs in that present moment. If a different issue arises, or a supervisee simply needs an open discussion space, that is more than welcome as well.
A Collaborative and Responsive Approach
Whether flagging a specific issue ahead of time or not, my role as a supervisor is to create an environment where supervisees feel heard, supported, and empowered to engage in open and honest discussions about their experiences. By taking a collaborative and responsive approach, we can ensure that each supervision session is tailored to the supervisee's immediate priorities and needs.
By fostering trust and rapport, school counsellors are more likely to share their concerns openly, leading to deeper insights, more effective problem-solving, and ultimately, enhanced professional growth and development.
While flagging issues or areas of focus in advance can offer advantages, it is an option rather than an expectation. The true value lies in maintaining a supervision space that is supportive, flexible, and responsive to each supervisee's unique journey.