This paper presents a brief review of a relational approach to clinical supervision and argues for its application in social work settings. Although an integral and essential part of practice, clinical supervision is underrepresented in the practice literature. Given this paucity of writings on supervision, the recent book by Mary Gail Frawley-O'Dea and Joan Sarnat, The Supervisory Relationship: A Contemporary Psychodynamic Approach, stands out as a seminal contribution because the authors present a fully developed relational model of supervision that fills a major gap in the development of contemporary relational theory and practice. We selectively review the basic concepts and principles of Frawley-O'Dea and Sarnat's model and apply this supervisory approach to current social work practice. Our focus will be on exploring three controversial and much-debated topics: self-disclosure, regression, and the teach or treat dilemma. Case vignettes from two supervisory experiences will serve to illustrate how a relational approach enhances both the treatment and the supervisory relationship.KEY WORDS: relational supervision; self-disclosure; regression; teach or treat dilemma.For nearly two decades the relational approach to treatment has been gaining a stronghold in the development of contemporary psychodynamic practice. William Borden (2000) recently traced the roots of the relational model from Freud and Ferenczi throughout the history of psychoanalytic practice in an effort to locate the relational
This article outlines and elaborates on the main features of the authors' relational model: a reconceptualization of transference and countertransference, the role of enactments in the clinical setting, the importance of the use of self, and the worker's participation as a change agent. Use of this model will enhance clinical services, reduce failed treatments and therapeutic impasses, and diminish the incidence of boundary violations. This conceptual framework has been used successfully by the authors in residential settings with homeless individuals, persons with chronic mental illness and substance abuse, and ex-offenders. Additionally, the authors have found it useful in child welfare settings as well as in teaching and supervising students and clinical staff. Clinical examples are provided to illustrate the model.
A conceptual framework is presented for thinking about supervisory issues raised by candidate self-disclosure. The process of dealing with self-disclosure in supervision brings into bold relief certain dynamics that operate in all supervisory encounters. In responding to these and other tensions stirred by analyst self-disclosure, the supervisory dyad moves in and out of various configurations, or "modes of supervisory interaction." Why these dynamics are intensified when the focus of supervision is on an instance of candidate self-disclosure is explored. To illustrate these ideas, a supervisory hour that dealt with the issue of self-disclosure is presented. A nonjudgmental awareness of the various modes of supervisory interaction enriches the supervisory process.
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