Supervision in the Real World: Understanding what makes an effective supervisory alliance

Curt and Katie chat about the relationship between supervisor and supervisee in clinical supervision. We explore what makes up a good supervisory alliance, what the research says (and why it is problematic), as well the practicalities of how to create a good relationship and set up a strong supervision meeting. We also look at the challenges in the real world, especially related to addressing business or administrative needs.

This is a continuing education podcourse.

Transcripts for this episode will be available at mtsgpodcast.com!

In this podcast episode we explore the clinical supervisory alliance for therapists

We know that the relationship is very important in therapy, but what about supervision? We dig into what makes an effective supervisory alliance (and what can hurt it).

What makes up a good clinical supervision relationship for therapists?

Teaching within a learning alliance
Having a shared view of what is being worked on
Rapport, shared supervisory goals, shared tasks by which those goals are pursued

Research on clinical supervision is problematic

Mechanisms by which efficacy is measured
Poor timing of research (developmental stage of the supervisee as well as after supervision is done)

What does an effective clinical supervisory alliance look like, practically?

Strong relationship that holds space for an assessment of what the supervisee needs at their particular developmental stage
Supervisory Alliance measures can help to identify how well this relationship is developing
Using feedback to inform the conversations in supervision
Cultural and gender impacts on the supervisory alliance
Supervisor humility and openness
Intentionality with how the relationship is developed
Regular evaluations for supervisees, including the FASIT (Functional Assessment of Skills for Interpersonal Therapists) system from Behavioral Analysts to assess their skills

Setting up an effective supervisory session

Navigating the business and clinical needs within the supervisory relationship
Creating an agenda and goals
Balancing case presentation with other supervisory needs
Clear about expectations at every stage, especially relevant at hiring
Pulling administrative conversations out of clinical supervision meetings
Finding agreed upon path to address clinical work
Cultural humility within the supervisory relationship

Receive Continuing Education for this Episode of the Modern Therapist’s Survival Guide

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Resources for Modern Therapists mentioned in this Podcast Episode:

We’ve pulled together resources mentioned in this episode and put together some handy-dandy links. Please note that some of the links below may be affiliate links, so if you purchase after clicking below, we may get a little bit of cash in our pockets. We thank you in advance!

Sign up to get on the list for Curt’s supervision workshop

Saving Psychotherapy by Dr. Ben Caldwell

A Few Thoughts on Impostor Syndrome by Dr. Jordan Harris

*The full reference list can be found in the course on our learning platform.

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Modern Therapist’s Survival Guide Creative Credits:

Voice Over by DW McCann https://www.facebook.com/McCannDW/

Music by Crystal Grooms Mangano https://groomsymusic.com/

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