A Slippery Slope in Supervision: The Challenge of Remaining in Roles

Have you ever found yourself moving into your therapist role when meeting with a supervisee? Allow me to normalize how this can and will happen. It happens because we’ve spent so much time as trained professionals wearing this helper hat. It’s comfortable. It’s normal. At any given time, supervisors can hold roles of leader, teacher, researcher, consultant, and colleague. Due to the subtleness of shifting from one role to another, the experience of wearing our therapist hat is one example of discomfort in the supervisory relationship. Supervisees and supervisors alike are recognizing that the lines have been blurred. For those of you who know me personally, you know that I too had this experience early in the field. I was counseled instead of supervised which led to discomfort and confusion about the expectations of clinical supervision. It has served as a measurement for improvement and was the personal catalyst for our book The Empowerment Model of Clinical Supervision.

Recognizing that supervision roles can feel slippery is a start. What can we do when we find ourselves reaching for our therapist hat like it’s our most comfortable sweater? It takes a conscious effort to stay in the right roles for our work as supervisors.

When you find yourself in an unintended role with your supervisee:

1)    Reflect-Explore how the shift happened. Remain curious about the circumstances that encouraged a shift without you initially recognizing it.

2)    Ask for Feedback-When you find yourself in a role that feels uncomfortable, ask your supervisee about their immediate needs. This can add clarity, especially if our supervisee is asking for support around something that isn’t part of traditional supervision. 

3)    Be Prepared-When exploring what your supervisee needs, be prepared to redirect if they are moving into content that is more appropriate for individual therapy or other personal work. It’s okay to acknowledge their needs out loud in order to support them in feeling seen and heard while also suggesting they bring the topic to their individual therapist as needed.

4)    Own It- When you find yourself dropping into the therapist role for example, own it by acknowledging what has happened. You may feel the need to apologize to your supervisee or report that you intend to make a conscious effort to show up in ways that are helpful to the supervisory relationship. Showing our humanity and owning our part can be powerful tools in developing quality supervision.

I recognize that moving between the various roles of clinical supervision has both strengths and challenges. I also know that each supervisory relationship is unique. I believe we can all make a conscious effort to embody roles that support a strong, supportive supervision relationship, therefore creating a powerful collaboration where both supervisor and supervisee can show up authentically and in ways that promote professional growth and leadership.

Written by Khara Croswaite Brindle, MA, LPC, ACS