I don’t know about you but I learn just as much by observing bad behavior as I do by observing good behavior. I think as humans we get a certain thrill out of watching bloopers or fails. Perhaps it’s schadenfreude at work. My research into neuroplasticity leads me to think it is because our brain reacts strongly to trying to protect us from harmful situations including humiliation and embarrassment. Unless it’s just me, and my Social Anxiety speaking. I swear I thought that was in remission though…
Anyway, when I think through someone else’s actions and vicariously feel the shock, embarrassment or horror the “what not to do” stands out memorably as I picture myself in the situation and the millions of ways it could exponentially get worse (somehow always ending with a dramatic falling off a ledge scene).
As a new Clinical Supervisor it can be difficult to hone your skills and know how to help cultivate a new therapist effectively because current trainings are lacking in skill development and many seasoned Supervisors are so overloaded they can’t take a newbie Supervisor under their wings to show them the ropes. So, while here at Clinical Buddy, our upcoming training programs on Supervision will start to grow all the good skills necessary, I thought I would get the ball rolling with a list of Supervision Fails. After all, even in the world of psychotherapy, common sense is often not so common. The things I have seen… Let me tell you!
Do not….
- Make the Supervisee’s precious Supervision hour all about yourself. This time is required by the BBS but most Supervisee’s need and look forward to this time as navigating a demanding new skill set is overwhelming and destabilizing. Talking about your issues with your teenager sexting her boyfriend, texting other people about where to get dinner later or even focusing on your highlight reel of your own past cases is unhelpful at best and negligent at worst. This skill is closer to psychotherapy in that what you discuss should be short, relevant to their needs and take the learning process deeper. Self disclosure is an art form and should not be chucked out the window just because they are not a client. Be yourself, but be thoughtful on how much and what you share. There are some things you can’t unhear. *Kendra shudders recalling hearing about unsolicited intimate details of a supervisor’s colonoscopy.
- Become their therapist. Many new psychotherapists (and even seasoned ones) experience countertransference. An unfortunate amount also experience secondary trauma and struggle with their own mental health journey (part of what gives them such great insight into the work). But knowing how to help them balance this without stepping into the therapeutic role is tricky. Encourage them to enlist their own psychotherapist for deeper processing outside of supervision. A good supervisor also does not avoid the topic though, helping a supervisee identify when they are triggered, what part of the session it happened in and then identify a plan to address it after supervision. We offer support, commiseration and normalization, but we do not stop and implement therapeutic inventions (short of basic coping skills if they are in crisis). This one is important because once you establish this kind of relationship it is impossible to back track.
- Discuss your sex life or ask your Supervisee invasive questions about their sex life. You would think this is a given, but I have seen it and heard it justified as being “friendly” or “supportive”. It’s not, it’s predatory and I feel for your HR department because you, my not friend, are a liability. Not to mention the supervisee’s you are sexually harassing, they don’t deserve to be abused by someone who is meant to help them and their clients. If you notice this behavior please report it, Supervisee’s may feel too worried about losing their job or their hours to risk telling someone.
- Neglect to sign their BBS weekly hours or complete initial paperwork. This is the most common one I see and though it may not seem like a big deal it can breed resentment and a lack of trust in the Supervisor/Supervisee relationship. Unlicensed people are reliant on their supervisors to help them do their work legally and ethically, there isn’t much they can do if you are negligent in this area and they pay the price. I often wonder if things like this factor into why new trainee’s leave their first site more often than other unlicensed people. Plus this is the most straightforward way to build basic trust with them, take care of the basic needs first.
- Pretend you know everything. Supervisee’s are not stupid, they know when someone is putting on a show or being evasive, afterall we taught them these skills in school. It’s ok to say “I don’t know that, but I’d like to. Let’s look that up.”
- Talk badly about other Supervisors, Psychotherapists or Agencies. In our field we should be modeling appropriate behavior and fostering a sense of collaboration and excellence. It should be all about helping our client’s get better and supporting each other in service of that goal. Cultivating a culture of backbiting and insecurity only adds to the rampant imposter syndrome Supervisee’s face. After all, if you are willing to say this about someone else, what might you say about me when I’m not present? On another level, we know our field tends to draw people who have endured a lot of pain and suffering and we can be reactive to each other. We have all had bad supervisors and worked at bad agencies, this information always outs itself in the end. We also have protocols for handling unethical behavior that don’t require us to act unprofessionally. So why not stay above the fray and encourage the next generation of therapists to do better. I think it’s just the classier option.
- Mix alcohol (or other substances) and Supervision. Should be common sense right? But I’ve heard stories that range the gamut from reviewing supervision notes on the toilet while drinking scotch, to drinking over lunch and then seeing client’s and supervisees. Showing up and talking about your wild cocaine-filled weekend and ending with insisting your supervisees meet you for a drink during supervision. While I’ve been to work events on the weekend that include wine tasting and the like it should still be on your mind that someone who is dependent on you and may look to you as a role model is present. Getting up and giving a slurred toast in which you swear like a sailor and make suggestive jokes about your boss is a great way to undermine your authority. There are some things you can’t unsee. * Kendra shudders recalling a coworker’s attempt to start a twerking competition at a work event after too many Cosmo’s.
- Forget, frequently reschedule or change your supervision hour. We therapists live by our schedule. While we supervisors have our own lives and emergencies it is essential we have a back up supervision for our people. According to the BBS if supervision is not in the same week, all those hours do not count towards licensure which is a big loss for our supervisee’s. If it keeps happening our supervisee’s are unable to get their basic clinical needs met and will be forced to go somewhere they can. Maslow’s hierarchy applies to Supervisee’s as well, with the BBS taking up much of the bottom tier.
I’m sure there are so many more I have left off this list but at least we have a head start. Please comment if you have experienced anything in this list or anything I left out and can explore in Part 2.
Reader, you are lovely. Thank you for visiting and being my “Clinical Buddy”.
Kendra Andersson MA, LMFT, COO Clinical Buddy