CLINICAL SUPERVISION
For the past 11 years I have provided clinical supervision at Construction Industry Rehabilitation Plan (CIRP), Adler University - Adler Community Health Services (ACHS), Squamish Nation - Ayas Men Men Child and Family Services, Family Services of the North Shore (FSNS) and in private practice. I have completed a 30-hour clinical supervision certificate through the Alberta College of Psychologists and the Expressive Arts Therapy and Art Therapy Supervision and Ethics certificate through the Trauma-Informed Practices and Expressive Arts Therapy Institute. I have clinically supervised a First Nations specific child and youth counselling program, a general child and youth counselling program, a family preservation and support program with referrals from MCFD for child protection concerns, a Sexual Abuse Intervention Program (SAIP) for children and youth, an adult individual/couple/family counselling program, graduate students at Adler University, art therapy students at the Vancouver Art Therapy Institute, concurrent disorders counsellors, and a variety of clinicians working with children, youth, and adults in private practice. I have supervised therapists using multiple modalities including Synergetic Play Therapy, Art Therapy, Expressive Arts Therapy, TF-CBT, CBT, DBT, CPT for PTSD, The Interpersonal Process in Psychotherapy, Existential Therapy, and Narrative Therapy.
I have experience supervising people working with:
adults experiencing anxiety, depression, grief, relationship struggles, recent trauma, complex childhood trauma and abuse, addictions, Bipolar Disorder, PTSD, Schizophrenia, and Borderline Personality Disorder
children and youth who have experienced anxiety, depression, relationship struggles, addictions, school struggles, identity issues, grief, and severe trauma including sexual abuse
families struggling with poverty, mental illness, complex trauma, domestic violence
men who have been violent in their interpersonal relationships
the LGBTQI2S+ community, specifically with Trans youth and their families
Indigenous-Canadian adults, children, and youth as well as newcomers to Canada, refugees, and people of multiple different ethnicities
My Supervision Theories
There are multiple theories, models and approaches to clinical supervision, just like there are in therapy. I find my self agreeing with many statements in many theories and integrating them as best as I can when providing clinical supervision and SoS. Psychotherapy based models all have something valuable to add, similar to the way they do in therapy; developmental models make important points about stages of growth; feminist approaches again re mind me to be aware of power dynamics, self-disclosure/transparency, social justice and diversity; process mod els focus on what happens in supervision and less on the content of a presentation. In the end, I notice myself being drawn to the Seven-Eyed Model of Supervision which “is a process-oriented approach that integrates the relational and systemic aspects of supervision” (Thiessen, 2023); the Common Factors Model of Supervision which “narrows the multiple tasks of supervisors into three domains; emphasis, specificity, and relationship” (Thiessen, 2023); Competency-Based Supervision which “provides a comprehensive and systematic and meta-theoretical approach that can be applied to all clinical specialties and theoretical orientations” (Thiessen, 2023), and Target Issue Supervision which can pertain to specialty areas of practice like Art Therapy or Play Therapy as well as specialty populations (Thiessen, 2023).
My Beliefs
I believe that the most profound change that people can experience is within a non-judgmental, safe, and trusting relationship; a relationship where people can be authentic, accepted and even celebrated for their authenticity, and then challenged and supported to live the life that they would like to live. Within that relationship, skills can be introduced, thoughts can be challenged, behaviours can be explored, stories can be created and recreated, information can be provided, and extensive reflection can happen . . . all within the experience of that relationship. If the relationship between the therapist and the client is a key part of growth, then the relationship between the supervisor and the supervisee is also crucial. In my mind, crucial doesn’t mean it has to be extremely intense or overly close, it means that different people need different levels of a supervisory relationship, so I attempt to decipher the needs of a supervisee and provide accordingly. If we can gain the right balance of the relationship, support, skills, growth, vulnerability, psychoeducation, and reflection, then supervision or Supervision of Supervision (SoS) will likely be successful.
My Style
My style of supervision and SoS is to be as authentic as possible and give my supervisees the permission to be that way too. I like to laugh and poke fun at the world sometimes, I like to recognize the tragedy that we can all see day-to-day, and I try to offer as much as I can regarding knowledge, skills, experiences, awareness, intuition, ethics, cultural responsiveness, and professional practices. I want to know what you want from supervision or SoS and then see if I can provide that for you. I am flexible, open, and genuinely interested in your growth as a counsellor or supervisor.