Clinical Supervision Handbook - CAMH Knowledge Exchange ...

care; enhanced health and client safety; and support, growth and retention of the
best professional staff.
Organizational context
Clinical supervision occurs within the organizational context and will be customized
in response to the unique characteristics of a particular clinical program area.
Organizations that value and promote clinical supervision as both an educational
process for clinicians and as a way to enhance accountability achieve greater employee
satisfaction and improved client outcomes.
Two overarching organizational themes characterize camh: a unionized environment
and clientele divided between inpatient and outpatient services. The hierarchical
environment of a unionized setting places the responsibility for clinical supervision
on those at the managerial level. All clinicians require high-quality clinical supervision
to meet their challenges and need for ongoing support. As an organization,
it is important that we find ways to provide clinical supervision to staff that work
shifts in the inpatient and residential areas at times when managers and clinical
supervisors may not be readily available to provide consultation.
When two or more hospitals merge to form a new organization, the organizational
culture often differs from that of its founding organizations. This may affect the
availability, perception and experience of clinical supervision. It takes time to develop
a shared perspective on the nature and process of clinical supervision. Any organization
comprises many departments, disciplines and individuals with a range of working
styles that contribute to its overall rhythm and achievements. Clinical supervision
requirements will vary with the unique program, culture, team members and learning
styles of its participants and so must be tailored accordingly. For example, when
camh was formed, there wasn’t a consistent practice of clinical supervision across
the entire organization. Although it was agreed that clinical supervision is integral to
clinical practice, it was necessary to redefine clinical supervision in this new culture.
Improved client outcomes
Clinical Supervision Handbook
One of the aims of clinical supervision is the improvement of client outcomes. Given
the breadth of service at camh outcomes are not the same for all clients but fluctuate
to accommodate client needs and challenges. Increasingly, we experience greater
complexity in the client populations we treat.
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