Enhancing supervision in children’s mental health through Bowen’s Family of Origin supervisory training

Abstract

ABSTRACTBowen’s Family of Origin training is extended to supervisory training in a Western Canada children’s mental health setting with new team leaders. The training focused on worker life experiences and how they bring those experiences to the supervisory relationship to influence work with children, youth and families. Participant vulnerability, inherent in the training, provides significant insight for them in their leadership role to reveal awareness of self and other; how awareness of family of origin patterns can reduce stress and increase relationships across the organisation supporting therapeutic alliance.One-on-one interviews were audio recorded and transcribed. Inductive thematic analysis identifies three emerging themes that speak to the awareness of self and other, shifting understandings of the supervisory role, and a parallel process of peer support. Findings are presented using participant quotes, followed by a discussion of implications for supervision within children’s mental health.