Experience Of Supervision Research Articles

Interview with RD Hinshelwood

PurposeA one-day conference organised by the University of Essex and the Consortium of Therapeutic Communities, 10 December, 2021 with the theme, “The Unconscious and Organisations”. Presentations and discussions throughout the conference had the aim of generating ideas and sharing knowledge about the unconscious and how this can inform practitioners working in therapeutic communities and other organisations meeting the challenge of emotional distress.Design/methodology/approachInterview with Professor Robert (Bob) Hinshelwood (RH), now 83 years old, who has been involved in therapeutic communities (TCs) since 1969, part of the initial founding of the Association of Therapeutic Communities in 1974, is presented. He qualified as a psychoanalyst in 1976. In 1980 he instigated the founding of the International Journal of Therapeutic Communities along with Nick Manning, David Kennard, Jeff Roberts and Barry Shenkar. In 1984 he founded the British Journal of Psychotherapy, and edited it for 10 years. He was Director of the Cassel Hospital 1993–1997. In 1999 he founded the journal Psychoanalysis and History. He was part of the Free Associations Group (founded by Bob Young and others) which ran the journal Free Associations, and with Mike Rustin and the University of East London, the “Psychoanalysis and Public Sphere” conferences in the 1990s. He has written a great deal about the dynamics of organisational cultures in complex settings. He is Fellow of the British Psychoanalytical Society, Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and Professor Emeritus of the University of Essex. The interviewer was conducted by Dr Gary Winship (GW) is an associate professor at the University of Nottingham where he leads the MA in Trauma Informed Practice, visiting professor Moscow Institute of Psychoanalysis, and also visiting professor at the Russian State Humanities University, editor of the International Journal of Therapeutic Communities.FindingsHinshelwood reflects on the question of the unconscious and the impact of destructive tendencies on organisational process. He shares his personal experience being a young evacuee during the Second World War and considers the impact of trauma, losing his religion and his subsequent career choices in medicine, psychiatry and psychoanalysis. He discusses his experience of supervision with Isabel Menzies Lyth and reflects on the different groups in the Institute of Psychoanalysis. He turns to the question tribalism in TCs and regrets that there had not been more bridge building and collaboration. He talks about his own prolific writing and publishing career which he describes as obsessional rather than passionate, and finally candidly reflects on the prospect of facing death.Originality/valueThe interview was transcribed.

Community health workers' experiences of supervision in maternal and child health programmes in low- and middle-income countries: A qualitative evidence synthesis.

Maternal and child health programmes often use Community Health Workers (CHWs) to help address poor access to health care, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). Supervision has long been recognised as a critical ingredient of successful CHW programmes, yet it is often reported as either of poor quality or absent. There is little research on CHWs' own perception of supervision and to the best of our knowledge, there are no reviews synthesising the evidence of CHWs' experiences of supervision. This review identified and synthesised qualitative research evidence about the experiences and perceptions of supervision by CHWs in programmes targeting maternal and child health (MCH) in LMIC. Electronic searches were performed in the following databases: EMBASE, Medline, PsycINFO, ASSIA, ERIC and CINAHL. This review included studies during the period from 2000 to 2021. In total, 10,505 titles were screened for inclusion, of which 177 full-text articles were retrieved and assessed. Ultimately, 19 articles were included in this review. Data extraction was based on the thematic synthesis approach: coding the text of included studies line-by-line; developing descriptive themes; and generating analytical themes. Four themes emerged: (1) frequency of supervision, (2) type of supervision, (3) supervision and motivation and (4) supportive supervision. Careful consideration needs to be taken of the model of supervision used, as primary care facility-based supervisors (usually nurses), although skilled, may not have sufficient time to supervise. Employing supervisors whose sole responsibility is to supervise CHWs may be a good strategy to alleviate these issues. Sufficient time and resources need to be allocated to supervisors and they should be expected to perform regular in-the-field supervision. Involving some aspects of community oversight should also be considered. Supervisor skills and training and the long-term retention of trained supervisors also need to be an important area of focus.

Supplemental Material for Examining the Impact of COVID-19 on Supervisees’ Experiences of Clinical Supervision

Supplemental Material for Examining the Impact of COVID-19 on Supervisees’ Experiences of Clinical Supervision

The association between political climate and trainees’ supervision experiences and needs

ABSTRACT This study examined whether political climate influenced trainees’ clinical work, supervisory experiences, and supervisory alliance. Data were collected from 366 trainees in a nationwide survey. Most trainees believed that the political atmosphere has affected clients to some degree. Over half reported political dialogue with supervisors, more often when political affiliation was similar. Supervisory alliances were most positive when trainees were aware of their supervisors’ political beliefs, regardless of agreement. Trainees wanted supervisors to provide greater awareness of multicultural issues and political climate in their clinical work. We recommend that supervisors invite trainees to discuss political effects on their clinical work.

Supervision experiences of Indian professionals engaging in narrative therapy training

ABSTRACT Clinical supervision is an integral practice for healthcare professionals. However, little is known about supervision within an Indian context. In this study, the authors sought to understand the supervision experiences of 20 participants in narrative training programs in India. Findings derived from a secondary analysis of qualitative data comprising participant interviews revealed three themes: Supervision as a Space for Exploring and Learning; Supervision as a Collaborative Space, and Supervision as a Safe Space. As a collaborative and experiential process, supervision appears to be a highly valued practice in India. Findings reinforce the importance of integrating collaborative supervision among Indian mental health practitioners.

Psykologers erfaringer i videoveiledning – en kvalitativ studie

Background: In recent years, supervision based on video recordings of supervisees’ therapy sessions has received increased attention, but our empirical knowledge about how psychologists experience this form of supervision is sparse. Objective: To explore psychologists’ experiences of professional and personal development in video-based supervision. Method: We conducted semi-structured interviews with nine therapists who had recently received video-based supervision. Transcripts were analyzed using hermeneutical-phenomenological thematic analysis. Results: We identified three themes: (1) A more vulne-rable experience in supervision, (2) “What we need to see to become better therapists”, and (3) “It makes me more secure as a therapist and as a person”. Conclusion: Psychologists feel more exposed and vulnerable in video-based supervision but also find it more useful for improving therapeutic skills and facilitating personal development. It is important for supervisors to be aware of specific challenges related to performance anxiety and learning in video-based supervision.¬¬ Keywords: Video-based supervision, psychotherapy training, deliberate practice, technology in training, performance anxiety

학교 상담자의 동료 수퍼비전 경험에 대한 합의적 질적연구

Objectives This study was conducted to check school counselors’ importance of peer supervision and examine what experiences are done in peer supervision and which support system are required based on the experiences. Methods For this, a research was conducted by selecting total ten school counselors with school counseling experiences for three years or more as research participants. The collected data was analyzed by using the Consensual Qualitative Research(CQR) method developed by Hill. Results The results of the study were summarized as task and organization systems felt by school counselors, awareness of school counselors, awareness of peer supervision, and factors for growing as school counseling experts. Based on the results of the study, school counselors’ peer supervision experiences and the development direction were discussed. That is, the school counselors experienced difficulties due to an increase in various tasks, roles, and cases of crises and difficulties due to differences of the recognition of peer supervision according to school managers. On the other hand, they have found to participate in peer supervision and agonize about practical help, emotional comfort, efforts for improving expertise, and the necessity of institutional support. Conclusions In the results of this study, the school counselors were living their lives as a counselor in the working environment which was neither diverse nor systematic. They were also solving difficulties they experienced as a school counselor by finding their own method through peer supervision. Even though the school counselors were receiving realistic help and emotional comfort that could complement deficiencies through peer supervision, they were experiencing limitations and feeling psychological discomfort at the same time. In order to complement this, the results of this study imply the necessities to systematically carry out the official and professional education, and also to provide the supervisor education as an expert in some areas.

학교 상담자의 동료 수퍼비전 경험에 대한 합의적 질적연구

Objectives This study was conducted to check school counselors’ importance of peer supervision and examine what experiences are done in peer supervision and which support system are required based on the experiences. Methods For this, a research was conducted by selecting total ten school counselors with school counseling experiences for three years or more as research participants. The collected data was analyzed by using the Consensual Qualitative Research(CQR) method developed by Hill. Results The results of the study were summarized as task and organization systems felt by school counselors, awareness of school counselors, awareness of peer supervision, and factors for growing as school counseling experts. Based on the results of the study, school counselors’ peer supervision experiences and the development direction were discussed. That is, the school counselors experienced difficulties due to an increase in various tasks, roles, and cases of crises and difficulties due to differences of the recognition of peer supervision according to school managers. On the other hand, they have found to participate in peer supervision and agonize about practical help, emotional comfort, efforts for improving expertise, and the necessity of institutional support. Conclusions In the results of this study, the school counselors were living their lives as a counselor in the working environment which was neither diverse nor systematic. They were also solving difficulties they experienced as a school counselor by finding their own method through peer supervision. Even though the school counselors were receiving realistic help and emotional comfort that could complement deficiencies through peer supervision, they were experiencing limitations and feeling psychological discomfort at the same time. In order to complement this, the results of this study imply the necessities to systematically carry out the official and professional education, and also to provide the supervisor education as an expert in some areas.

Setting Up an Out of Hours Supervision Group at St Charles Mental Health Unit

AimsPsychiatric on-calls are often regarded as the most challenging aspect of core psychiatric training. This audit aimed to gain trainee feedback about on-calls at one of London's busiest mental health units, whether they were receiving adequate supervision for emergency and out of hours work and to design an intervention to improve on-call supervision experience for core and higher trainees.MethodsA qualitative survey to assess the out of hours clinical experiences of trainees was conducted. The survey explored the following domains: trainees’ confidence in dealing with emergencies out of hours, quality of supervision and individual learning opportunities.ResultsResults indicated low to moderate confidence levels among trainees in performing out of hours’ clinical tasks. The majority were of the opinion that further supervision for on-calls would be beneficial. 59% of trainees stated they struggled to complete work place based assessments (WPBAs) on out of hours cases. In view of the findings, a quality improvement framework was used to introduce a supervision group that gave trainees the opportunity to learn from their out of hours complex cases with a Consultant Psychiatrist as a chair. Following the implementation of the group, a qualitative survey revealed improved confidence, morale and training satisfaction among trainees. The results of the survey and feedback from trainees will be shared in details in the poster. This group has been running successfully for the last one year.ConclusionThe introduction of an out of hours supervision group in busy mental health units can lead to an improvement in confidence and enable professional and educational development for trainees, which will also help improve overall morale as evidenced by this audit. Additional supervision and developing confidence of junior doctors in dealing with out of hours’ complex cases has enabled trainees to feel more supported and has led to increased training satisfaction at St Charles Hospital, London.

Running on the treadmill: Practitioner experiences of mass supervision

This article explores the impacts that the addition of individuals serving short sentences has had on daily practice and working culture for probation workers. These practitioner perspectives are explored through the lens of ‘mass supervision’, providing a new insight into the harms and implications for its inherent deskilling qualities and constraints. This empirical research underlines three main themes related to the harms caused by mass supervision: firstly, that it inhibits innovative practice; secondly, that it necessitates a more limited model of supervision that undermines practitioner autonomy and the reach and scope of the supervisory relationship; and thirdly, that mass supervision corrodes the values of probation staff, leaving many experienced practitioners struggling ethically, practically and emotionally. The experience of mass supervision is compared to a treadmill by several practitioners and employed as a metaphor to analyse practice in the confines of mass supervision as generic, monotonous and relentless.

Dialogic possibilities of online supervision

When schools locked down owing to the spread of COVID-19, Danish upper secondary school students worked on the major written assignment that completes their studies. This assignment is interdisciplinary, and students receive up to twenty hours of supervision from two teachers. This year, supervision was reorganised into a virtual format. This article explores how and in what ways students benefited from this reorganisation. This article is based on a mixed-methods design that includes quantitative and qualitative data and investigates how various online supervision formats support dialogic interaction. This article focuses on the student’s experience of supervision. It finds that all the formats we investigated offer the opportunity for dialogue during supervision, but their potential varies significantly. Some formats seem to have great potential for supporting students’ academic development, whereas others support their psychosocial development. We conclude by addressing the importance of choosing the online format suited to a given purpose and recommend that supervisors be aware of the didactic purposes of the various formats.

Enabling uptake and sustainability of supervision roles by women GPs in Australia: a narrative analysis of interviews

BackgroundWorldwide, the proportion of women entering careers in medicine is increasing. To ensure diversity and capacity in the general practice (“GP”) supervision workforce, a greater understanding from the perspective of women GPs engaged in or considering the clinical supervision of trainee doctors is important. This narrative inquiry aims to explore the uptake and sustainability of supervision roles for women GPs in the Australian context.MethodsQualitative interviews with Australian women GPs were conducted between July and September 2021. Women GPs were selected to represent a range of demographics, practice contexts, and supervision experience to promote broad perspectives. Narrative analysis drew on participant perspectives, allowing emergent stories to be explored using story arcs based on the characters, settings, problems, actions, and resolutions. These stories were evaluated by a broad research team and a high level of agreement of the final narratives and counter-narratives was achieved.ResultsOf the 25 women who enrolled, 17 completed interviews. Six narratives emerged, including: power and control, pay, time, other life commitments, quality of supervision, and supervisor identity. These represented significant intersecting issues with the potential to impact the uptake and sustainability of supervision by women GPs. Some women GPs reported a lack of agency to make decisions about their role in supervision and were not remunerated for teaching. Uptake and sustainability of supervision was constrained by other life commitments, which could be buffered by team-sharing arrangements and a supportive practice. Although adding a burden of time atop their complex and sensitive consultations, women GPs were committed to being available to registrars and supervising at a high standard. To foster high quality supervision, women GPs were interested in up-skilling resources, building experience and harnessing support networks. Women sensed imposter syndrome when negotiating a supervisor identity, which could be managed by explicitly valuing their contribution.ConclusionThe findings can inform the development of more specific resources, supports and structures to enable women GPs in Australia to uptake and sustain the supervision of trainee doctors at a level they find both acceptable and rewarding.

Registered social workers' supervision across areas of practice in Aotearoa New Zealand

INTRODUCTION: This article examines the supervisory experiences and views of registered social workers across the practice areas of statutory services, health and non-government organisations (NGOs.) The article aims to establish a baseline for supervision across areas of practice in Aotearoa New Zealand and discuss the implications any differences have for the supervision of registered social workers.METHODS: Demographic data from 266 postal survey respondents was descriptively analysed. A one-way ANOVA and Tamhane T2 post hoc tests were applied using IBM SPSS 24 to explore variances in means for the independent variable of Area of Practice across 10 scales about the respondents’ supervision experiences.FINDINGS: Differences were identified in the workforce profile of each area, and there were significant differences in supervisees’ experiences of supervision across areas of practice which reflected each area’s different supervision culture, policy, and practices. The findings show that supervision in health and NGO areas was more professional, clinical, cultural, reflective and involved more positive content within a more constructive supervision climate than supervision in the statutory area.CONCLUSIONS: A significant difference was found between the quality of supervision experienced by social workers in health and NGOs and their statutory social work colleagues. This needs to be addressed through changing the supervision climate, developing supervisor capability and the uncluttering of supervision through separating professional/clinical supervision from line management. This study provides a foundation for further research that compares supervision across practice areas.

Research supervisors’ views of barriers and enablers for research projects undertaken by medical students; a mixed methods evaluation of a post-graduate medical degree research project program

BackgroundMedical degree programs use scholarly activities to support development of basic research skills, critical evaluation of medical information and promotion of medical research. The University of Sydney Doctor of Medicine Program includes a compulsory research project. Medical student projects are supervised by academic staff and affiliates, including biomedical science researchers and clinician-academics. This study investigated research supervisors’ observations of the barriers to and enablers of successful medical student research projects.MethodsResearch supervisors (n = 130) completed an anonymous, online survey after the completion of the research project. Survey questions targeted the research supervisors’ perceptions of barriers to successful completion of projects and sources of support for their supervision of the student project. Data were analysed by descriptive statistics and using manifest content analysis. Further quantitative investigation was made by cross-tabulation according to prior research supervision experience.ResultsResearch supervisors reported that students needed both generic skills (75%) and research-based skills (71%) to successfully complete the project. The major barrier to successful research projects was the lack of protected time for research activities (61%). The assessment schedule with compulsory progress milestones enabled project completion (75%), and improved scientific presentation (90%) and writing (93%) skills. Supervisors requested further support for their students for statistics (75%), scientific writing (51%), and funding for projects (52%). Prior research supervision experience influenced the responses. Compared to novice supervisors, highly experienced supervisors were significantly more likely to want students to be allocated dedicated time for the project (P < 0.01) and reported higher rates of access to expert assistance in scientific writing, preparing ethics applications and research methodology. Novice supervisors reported higher rates of unexpected project delays and data acquisition problems (P < 0.05). Co-supervision was favoured by experienced supervisors but rejected by novice supervisors.ConclusionsBoth generic and research-related skills were important for medical student research project success. Overall, protected research time, financial and other academic support were identified as factors that would improve the research project program. Prior research supervision experience influences perceptions of program barriers and enablers. These findings will inform future support needs for projects and research supervisor training for the research supervision role.

Facilitating the Professional Development of International Counseling Psychology Students: Introduction to Special Issue

The growing community of international counseling students in the United States has been a vital force in the internationalization of counseling psychology and the diversification of counseling practices. However, their intersectional identity of being both an international student and a counseling student is also associated with a variety of unique challenges in training and career development. This Special Issue includes five articles that address a conceptual model on international students’ social justice identity development, experiences of clinical training and clinical supervision, career barriers and coping efficacy, and experiences of counseling psychology faculty from international backgrounds. Each of these articles discusses challenges faced by international counseling psychology students and provides implications that can be used to facilitate the professional development of international counseling psychology students.

Allied health clinical supervision: An opportunity lost.

This study investigated clinical supervision with Allied Health professionals in a public health setting. Staff perceptions and experiences were explored through focus group discussions. Key themes identified that supervisees "tip-toe into complexity" by engaging in reflective practice for incremental personal and professional development. In contrast, supervisors identified that reflexivity was required for the opportunity to "develop at a deeper level". Offering a choice of supervisor and providing supervisor training enhanced supervision experiences. Challenges to effective supervision were identified. Competing priorities, inconsistent modes of delivery, major organisational change and the role of clinical supervision in line with professional development confounded the experiences. Health managers could improve the processes and outcomes by implementing consistency with approach, timing, documentation, language, and structure of Clinical Supervision.

‘A nice idea but....’: Implementing a reflective supervision model in the National Probation Service in England and Wales

ABSTRACT Despite significant research and literature relating to the role of critically reflective practice and staff supervision in ‘helping professions’, there has been less attention given to probation practice. This article addresses this gap by presenting the findings from a study that explores the implementation of a reflective model of staff supervision in the National Probation Service. Utilising a mixed-methods research design including a survey and semi-structured interviews with managers and front-line practitioners, the study sheds light on probation staff's experience of reflective supervision and manager perspectives of implementing the model. Overall, we find that probation staff are supportive of the ethos and underpinning principles of the reflective supervision model. However, our participants raised important barriers to implementation, most notably a lack of time and perceived tension between the managerial and developmental aspects of the supervisor role. We conclude by arguing that the Probation Service needs to address these barriers to enable reflective supervision to realise its potential to protect practitioner emotional well-being, support-positive outcomes for individuals subject to probation intervention and develop practitioner professionalism, empowerment, and autonomy.

Education management in Germany

Russia is actively reforming the state control and supervisory functions in the various spheres of activity. In education, the reform has launched in 2020. The purpose of risk-oriented model of the organisation of control and supervisory activities is to reduce the number of inspections and administrative pressure on business, increasing the legally protected values protection level. Since the risk-oriented model is being introduced again for Russia, it is relevant, in this regard, to analyse the control (supervision) experience in education abroad. The main purpose of the study is to identify positive or negative experience in the management of the education sector in Germany that can be applied in legislative and applied practice in Russia. By comparative and analytical methods, the study reveals common and special features of education management in Germany compared to Russia. The scientific research novelty is the Germany’s education management experience study in comparison with Russia in the perspective of control and supervisory functions.

The Health and Health Needs of People under Community Supervision

Americans under community supervision experience high rates of chronic disease, mental illness, and substance use disorders but have poor access to high-quality preventive care and treatment. Pervasive barriers to healthcare and health insurance reinforce poor health, as do restrictions to evidence-based addiction treatment. We propose that community supervision agencies transfer management of the health of supervised individuals to an expanded community-based healthcare system and that they abandon practices at odds with the science of addiction medicine (e.g. prohibitions on medications to treat addiction, and revocation of community release for addiction relapse). Further, we argue that correctional systems should prioritize health of those under supervision by standardizing health-related protocols, including basic needs resources in discharge planning, and leveraging the skills of individuals with lived experiences in the correctional system. If implemented, the success of our recommendations would require expansion of community-based primary care, mental health, and addiction treatment centers.

Factors which influence the effectiveness of clinical supervision for student nurses in Sri Lanka: A qualitative research study

BackgroundClinical placements are an essential part of student nurse education, but their effectiveness is influenced by the type and availability of supervision and existing resources. In Sri Lanka, the specific socio-political context in which nursing, and nurse education, operate may also be important. ObjectivesTo examine the impact of socio-political factors on Sri Lankan nurses' supervisory practices and student nurses' experiences of clinical supervision. DesignQualitative descriptive. SettingsFour teaching hospitals and four educational establishments in Colombo district, Sri Lanka. Participants217 student nurses in years 2–4 of their programmes. 205 qualified nurses (clinical and academic) with a minimum of two years' supervisory experience. MethodsWritten responses to three open questions, followed by reflexive thematic analysis with inductive, semantic coding. ResultsTwo themes were identified: 1. Personal and professional development 2. Tensions and conflicts. Sociocultural norms and governance structures, which limited nurses' professional recognition and self-determination, negatively affected clinical supervision. ConclusionsThe sociocultural changes necessary to raise the professional status of Sri Lankan nurses will take time to occur. Approval of a mentorship education programme for supervisors, recognition of their role and greater support for students are important first steps in this process.