Clinical Supervision Handbook - CAMH Knowledge Exchange ..

Clinical Supervision Handbook
rest of the team says nothing and the supervisor only focuses on the presenting
clinician).
• The supervisor does not process feedback from others (i.e., no one ties feedback
together or links to others’ experiences).
• Clinicians feel overly criticized.
• Clinicians feel others are not taking risks.
• A lack of open communication impedes group cohesion.
• The clinical supervisor shares conflicts with staff, personal issues or his or her
own frustrations about clients in a non-professional manner.
• Conflicts occur with team members who are attending the supervision and others
who are outside of the group. (It is helpful to have strategies to address this within
the group.)
Importance of trust and safety in group supervision
The development of trust and safety may be impeded when a member of the group
takes on the role of “consultant” (i.e., the person who is never listening, always “one
upping” other team members, or giving an answer or suggesting a “better” approach).
For example, group members who do not take risks, who only present the cases
they are not having difficulty with and do not reflect on their own practice in group
supervision tend not to bond with the group. Trust and safety in the group may be
compromised when the members vary significantly in their approaches to practice,
and/or when members come from a variety of disciplines with varied levels of
experience.
Open vs. closed group
Providing group supervision on an inpatient unit with an interdisciplinary team
requires some flexibility due to nurses’ schedules. Having a closed group requires
nurses to come in on days off. Open groups accommodate a variety of schedules.
However, they present other challenges.
In an open group, participants may be reluctant to self-disclose. How much a clinician
chooses to self-disclose often depends on the cohesion of the group as a whole and the
mix of staff attending the group that day. Closed groups can achieve a greater sense of
cohesiveness and safety, making it easier for staff members to expose their vulnerability.
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