I love to create safe spaces to build solid human relationships based on trust, good intentions, and honest conversations.I’m sharing this contract to help you understand my supervision approach’s framework. We will use this document to start a conversation about how we will build our unique supervisory space. I don’t pretend this contract will answer all the questions and situations that could arise during our supervision experience.
The goal of supervision is to guide you, as a new therapist, to develop the necessary skills to offer an excellent service to your clients while building your own style. My initial priority is to create a relationship where you feel safe enough to bring all your concerns and fears to the supervision space. The long-term goals are more related to your clinical competence and professional and personal growth (Lee and Nelson, 2014). I expect you to assume an active role in your own success and take ownership of your training.
For me, you must understand systemic theories and patterns of interaction, recognize cultural, ethical, and legal implications, and build solid clinical competencies to navigate different clients and problems. I will match your theory of therapy rather than expect you to conform to mine. I will focus on isomorphism between the supervision, therapy, and your clinical and personal style. We will be able to identify, explore, and highlight the competencies and strengths you already possess.
My supervision model is the collaborative approach, which is less hierarchical. Anderson (2000) describes supervision as a “collaborative learning community” in which supervisors and supervisees learn together and co-construct knowledge. This approach is based on the idea of:
- Relationships and conversations are inseparable and influence each other.
- Participants take responsibility for their learning.
- Participants learned by doing and not by being lectured.
- Reflection is vital in everyday practice.
This approach doesn’t mean you can disregard directions or recommendations (especially in cases with legal and ethical issues). Still, I want to allow space for dialogue about the unique and varied experiences that both bring to the supervision space and possible therapeutic possibilities and ethical resolutions.
The plan will be to meet you weekly, at least for one hour. I offer options for live and video supervision sessions and individual and group, in-person, or online supervision formats. However, the duration of the supervision will depend on the format.
Individual supervision helps to facilitate a customized learning experience for you, allowing me to closely monitor your cases and progress. However, group supervision helps to broaden your perspective, teaching you the value of peer consultation and encouraging the discussion of cases and management of ethical dilemmas and treatment options for clients (Campbell, 2006).
My preferred mode of supervision is live supervision because it allows me to support you when you need it, especially if you are in the first stage of your development as a therapist. This process will enable you to get immediate feedback. One of the reasons why I choose this style is that it allows analysis and reflection on the therapy situation when everything is fresh, allowing the reconstruction of the therapy process. Hence, you develop your ethical decision-making style based on the awareness of “what you believe,” “why you believe what you believe,” and “what influences your decision-making process.” However, I am open to exploring a different format based on your specific needs.
The supervision space is an excellent place to practice building relationships with clients. As Lambert (1992) explained, 30% of psychotherapy outcomes are related to the factor of the therapeutical relationship. Self-awareness is a condition for creating a good relationship with the client where acceptance, empathy, trust, accountability, and authenticity are pillars. As you will expect from your client, you need to assume the role of your own success and take ownership of your training.
Continuing to use a collaborative approach for supervision, the evaluation will be a continuous process based on “culture feedback,” where we will find the time to give feedback to each other, allowing the space for mutual growth. A more formal evaluation will occur every 3-4 months to have documentation and ensure the space is created.
Becoming a therapist is never easy; there are many moments when you will feel you need to consult with me. I encourage you to reach out to me when you need it, and I will be back to you as soon as possible. If for some reason, I find that you may need me in excess, we will have a conversation about how I can help you to deal better with the anxiety and the uncertainty before the supervision sessions.
I can’t foresee any situation we cannot talk through and resolve. However, suppose one of us considers that we can’t move forward with a specific problem. In that case, I will encourage us to consult and invite other peers and supervisors to broaden our perspective and find possible solutions.
As gatekeepers to our profession, I am responsible for determining that clients are safe, you are competent, and that our licenses are not at risk. You will need to provide me with a copy of your malpractice insurance, any policies and procedures for work defined by your school, agency, or licensing board, and copies of all informed consent documents and any documents you will use to track your hours. If significant ethical or legal concerns are presented, we will need to develop a remediation plan (e.g., additional training or readings). If you need to be dismissed or reported for any reason, I will go ahead and consult colleagues or seek legal counsel to confirm or mitigate my concerns and respond accordingly.
Please, feel free to suggest any changes or changes you may need in this supervisory contract to meet your needs and the requirements of your institution.
Nelliana Acuna, AAMFT LMFT-S