At the end of a cathartic, perhaps distressing therapy session, many clients will say something to me like “I don’t know how you do this work. It would do my head in.”
What they don’t realise is I don’t have any superpowers, just a clinical supervisor.
No. I really can’t read your mind.
Clients see in me a capable, knowledgeable and above all else, calm, professional who creates a space in which they can safely reveal and explore their fears, their shame, their dreams.
Nobody does good work alone.
What they don’t realise is that although I’m alone in the room with them, I’m not completely alone. I regularly meet with a clinical supervisor. This is a more experienced colleague who has dealt with clients at least as complex as mine, often in more challenging settings for a longer period than even an ‘old’ practitioner like me.
Whenever I get stuck or lost in dealing with a client, I know I can call on my supervisor and she will help me untangle my thinking and come up with a feasible plan. Often all she has to do is remind me of my own capabilities.
Ten years into my practice, I realised as I encountered a broader cross-section of the community that this kind of professional relationship is a rarity. In other professions this type of guidance may be attempted through roles such as bosses, line managers, senior associates and team leaders.
Your mentor is compromised
But more often than not, such people are compromised in what they can offer you because of limitations such as
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Time – if they’re any good they’re usually busy with their own projects and there is no budget allowing them a quarantined hour with you alone
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Competition – if the best person who could support you works for your competitor, or even works in your firm but is angling for the same place in the hierarchy as you, the incentives don’t support this special relationship. Indeed the designated person may even undermine you.
Maybe your mentor is, you know, just a little passive-aggressive…
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Role contamination – sometimes the mentor assigned to you is also your manager. Again this means they have incentives such as KPIs and team performance targets that outweigh considerations about your safety, development or confidence.
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Emotional or social intelligence – often the person who is a master practitioner in their craft or a recognised thought leader is simply lacking in the ‘soft skills’ that help a person foster the growth of their protegés. This rarely happens with psychologists though as we’re selected for and trained in these skills
How supervision benefits you
As I hope you can see by now, what I’m advocating is not your standard supervision.
If your industry or employer could support a system of clinical supervision like the one we have in psychology you could expect these benefits
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Enhanced Skill Development: A supervisor can offer tailored guidance, helping professionals refine their skills and stay abreast of industry trends.
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Improved Decision-Making: Supervisors can provide a fresh perspective, aiding in complex decision-making processes.
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Increased Accountability: Regular supervision fosters a sense of accountability, promoting ethical and responsible practice.
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Reduced Burnout: Supervisors can offer emotional support and strategies for managing stress, preventing burnout.
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Boosted Confidence: Constructive feedback and validation from a supervisor can bolster a professional’s self-assurance.
While the specifics of supervision may vary across industries, the core principles will remain the same: a collaborative relationship focused on professional growth, guided by a more experienced or knowledgeable supervisor. This model has proven invaluable in psychology, and it’s time to explore its potential in other fields.
What professions could benefit from the clinical supervision model?
I provide this kind of supervision for psychologists and other mental health practitioners. But I’ve found that with many business professionals who start as clients, and especially if they are high-functioning but under great workplace based stress, the work I do with them looks a lot like the supervision I do with psychologists. The only thing missing is psychology-specific content. Otherwise it provides all the benefits listed above and requires all the same qualities: deep listening, reflection, occasional advice, good questions.
Some of the professions I’ve done this work with include academics, IT professionals, business owners, lawyers, doctors, teachers, comedians, scientists, writers. I don’t think there is a profession that can’t benefit from this approach.