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Clinical Supervision Handbook - CAMH Knowledge Exchange ..

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<strong>Clinical</strong> <strong>Supervision</strong> <strong>Handbook</strong><br />

care; enhanced health and client safety; and support, growth and retention of the<br />

best professional staff.<br />

Organizational context<br />

<strong>Clinical</strong> supervision occurs within the organizational context and will be customized<br />

in response to the unique characteristics of a particular clinical program area.<br />

Organizations that value and promote clinical supervision as both an educational<br />

process for clinicians and as a way to enhance accountability achieve greater employee<br />

satisfaction and improved client outcomes.<br />

Two overarching organizational themes characterize camh: a unionized environment<br />

and clientele divided between inpatient and outpatient services. The hierarchical<br />

environment of a unionized setting places the responsibility for clinical supervision<br />

on those at the managerial level. All clinicians require high-quality clinical supervision<br />

to meet their challenges and need for ongoing support. As an organization,<br />

it is important that we find ways to provide clinical supervision to staff that work<br />

shifts in the inpatient and residential areas at times when managers and clinical<br />

supervisors may not be readily available to provide consultation.<br />

When two or more hospitals merge to form a new organization, the organizational<br />

culture often differs from that of its founding organizations. This may affect the<br />

availability, perception and experience of clinical supervision. It takes time to develop<br />

a shared perspective on the nature and process of clinical supervision. Any organization<br />

comprises many departments, disciplines and individuals with a range of working<br />

styles that contribute to its overall rhythm and achievements. <strong>Clinical</strong> supervision<br />

requirements will vary with the unique program, culture, team members and learning<br />

styles of its participants and so must be tailored accordingly. For example, when<br />

camh was formed, there wasn’t a consistent practice of clinical supervision across<br />

the entire organization. Although it was agreed that clinical supervision is integral to<br />

clinical practice, it was necessary to redefine clinical supervision in this new culture.<br />

Improved client outcomes<br />

One of the aims of clinical supervision is the improvement of client outcomes. Given<br />

the breadth of service at camh outcomes are not the same for all clients but fluctuate<br />

to accommodate client needs and challenges. Increasingly, we experience greater<br />

complexity in the client populations we treat.<br />

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