Supervision of Interns
An important part of training in marriage and family therapy is the experience of being supervised by an experienced therapist and supervisor. As the Clinic Director, I provide both live and individual supervision of student clinical sessions, and review digitally recorded sessions and case records. I supervise 8-14 interns each semester.
Supervision works in a similar capacity as student advising; however, instead of meeting once a semester, I meet weekly with the student interns at the Pfeiffer Institute. In addition, my role as supervisor at PIMFT is synonymous to experiential teaching. I work with the interns to not only provide greater service to their clients, but also to offer support for their own mental and emotional well-being and help them plan for entrance into external site opportunities for a "real world" clinical experience at an agency setting.
My theoretical framework of supervision is influenced by Bowen’s Family Systems Theory, which values the family of origin, generational patterns of interaction, and self differentiation (Bowen, 1985). The transgenerational model, or more specifically the Bowen Family Systems Theory, honors the systemic perspective, as well as how patterns, culture, and beliefs transmit over periods of time (Roberto, 1997). In addition to being influenced by Family Systems Theory, I am guided by collaborative elements in supervision. Collaborative supervision is best described by Fine and Turner (1997) as,Philosophy of Supervision
Face-to-face ongoing dialogues between a supervisor and therapist where goodwill prevails; the learning is mutual and intense; the power relations are transparent; and the emphasis is on meeting standards of the profession, ensuring the well-being of clients served by the supervisory participants (p. 229).I take fundamental aspects of each model in the attempt to integrate the importance of triangle monitoring and growth by increasing differentiation, while at the same time creating an atmosphere of respect giving my supervisee space to grapple with anxiety producing moments.
Establishing a collaborative supervisory relationship allows me to create an environment that welcomes differing ideas and beliefs. I have struggled in the past when I had a different idea than my supervisor, thus, felt as though my perspective had little to no value. I want to give opportunities for my supervisee to experience multiple perspectives, new ways of conceptualizing a case, and implementing a variety of interventions. In addition, I believe having space to generate ideas can also enhance therapist creativity, critical thinking proficiency, and problem-solving skills.
In a collaborative environment, I concentrate on specific areas of growth for my supervisee. I value exploration of family of origin issues. Consistent with Protinsky and Keller (1984), if a supervisee understands and identifies family of origin patterns that serve to inhibit their own therapeutic effectiveness, they can increase their abilities as a clinician by changing the patterns of interactions. I believe that one’s family of origin can hinder the therapeutic process if one does not explore what issues create reactivity or emotional experiences. In addition, identifying patterns of interaction with certain family members can reduce transference in the therapy room to clients with similar characteristics of those that generate such emotional responses.
The concept I value the most is differentiation. Differentiation of self means the ability to be a separate, independent individual keeping personal beliefs, values, and goals while staying emotionally connected and involved with others (Titelman, 1998; Kerr & Bowen, 1988; Bowen, 1985). Becoming differentiated is an essential element in the therapeutic and supervisory process. I encourage my supervisee to take the “I” position in the attempt to lessen reactivity and to promote self-growth. In addition, I push my supervisee to be more aware of the times that they are reactive and to what they become more reactive to help bring balance between their feeling and thinking.
The issue of power is a vital concept in any supervision process, whether they are collaborative or noncollaborative (Foucault, 1979). Inherent in a supervisory relationship, hierarchy exists. I believe it is important to establish a level of power as a supervisor; however, I try to balance the role by giving respect to those I supervise. Part of being a supervisor is evaluating the work of the supervisee (Fine & Turner, 1997) and one must have authority to give feedback to improve growth and development. Although power is necessary, the supervisor must be cognizant of the influence they may have on the supervisee. I work on being aware of what I ask my supervisee to do and my expectations because of the level of power I have due to my role.
Another issue I believe is essential to assess is diversity. According to Zimmerman (2001), clinical importance exists in examining diversity. Diversity can encompass ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, social economic status, and abilities. I own my privilege of being a highly educated female from a middle-class family and I acknowledge my minority status. I cannot escape the shape of my eyes or the color of my skin, nor do I want to. I, too, challenge my supervisee to take account of the diversity they add to the supervisory relationship and to their relationship with their clients.
I cannot discuss the importance of diversity without giving attention to context. I believe that context is central to experience and development within the supervisory process. When I refer to context, I include the environment, lifespan development (birth to death), society, and culture. Satir believed that she needed to know the context to help her make sense of the behavior of the family (Freeman, 1999). Not only is context helpful to make sense of the client, but also to gain a better conceptualization of the relationship the supervisee has with the client system. Furthermore, in the effort to acknowledge context, I incorporate the influence of the biology, cognition, social, and emotional developmental levels of the individual. Moreover, I take what I know about the developmental levels and integrate that information with the family life cycle. I value the perspective that the family life cycle can give on the structure of relationships.
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