The supervisor is taking responsibility for the supervisee’s job performance, and is deciding what they should be doing, when and how. The supervisor is not just accountable for a person’s actions and managing their workload and remit, they are also helping them reflect and develop. This can cover discussion of their role, the interface between personal and professional, where their “growing edges” are, how they wish to develop, helping them to link theory and practise, to formulate what is going on with complex cases and to be aware of the systemic context of the team, organisation. The supervisor is also sharing their experience, decision making and interpretation with the supervisee’s observations, experiences and information gathering.
Supervision requires setting a time – at least an hour a week; no interruptions; identifying needs and setting agenda from this; and evaluating if needs are being met. Supervisors must be good communicators, focused, empathic and approachable Supervision should ideally include informing, supporting, evaluating, observing, training and educating.
References
Carroll, M. (2007). Clinical psychology supervision. Clinical Psychology Forum, 174, 35-38.
Fleming, I. & Steen, L. (2003). Supervision and Clinical Psychology: Theory, Practice and Perspectives. London: Brunner-Routledge.
Miriam (2007). What is supervision? http://www.clinpsy.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=190
