Implementing a supervision model in community children’s mental health: Experiences of supervisors and practitioners.

Abstract

Supervision of staff in the helping professions is valued and considered important for effective service delivery, with expert consensus that the delivery of high-quality supervision strengthens the social service workforce. The demands of publicly funded settings provide compelling rationale for supervision to protect marginalized clients, while ensuring staff are supported in delivering quality services. As conceptual frameworks, models of supervision are one way to strengthen supervision through intentionally incorporating theory, best practices, and research. Theoretically grounded and integrative, the Stop Now and Plan (SNAP) clinical supervision model incorporates best practices, guidelines, and techniques informed by explanatory and practice theories, and research. This article presents a qualitative study exploring the experiences of supervisors and supervisees in children’s mental health settings implementing this model of supervision for an evidence-based intervention. Reflexive thematic analysis was conducted using qualitative data collected from participant interviews (N = 20) directly following the completion of a 6-month implementation of the SNAP model of clinical supervision. Identified themes demonstrate the value of a structured model of supervision in supporting practitioner confidence, accountability, and professional development, while allowing supervisors to meet their responsibilities to their team and their organizations. The challenges associated with implementing a supervision model within publicly funded settings are highlighted, with suggestions for over coming these challenges provided.

Introduction to the special section: Supervision in publicly funded settings: Best practices.

“…Regarding cultural barriers, one of the articles discusses implementation of cultural genogram as a clinical supervision tool to increase cultural awareness and understanding (Chege et al, 2023). Furthermore, as psychologists, we strive to protect others from harm by protecting marginalized clients (Sewell & Ederer, 2023) as well as empower transgender, nonbinary, and gender expansive trainees (Hashtpari et al, 2023) and trainees with disabilities (Wilbur et al, 2023).…”