Mechanisms for Building Working Alliances in Clinical Supervision

While social workers and researchers acknowledge the importance of a positive working alliance between service providers and clients, less is known about mechanisms for developing working alliances between supervisors and supervisees. The Alliance Building: Learning to Engage (ABLE) model was developed to measure and enhance the supervisory relationship. The ABLE model consists of a tool for continuous measurement of the supervisory working alliance as well as several research supported resources. This two part study assessed the reliability and validity of the ABLE supervision tool (ABLE-S), and then a randomized control trial pilot study was conducted to determine if the use of ABLE in supervision improves the professional quality of life and occupational self-efficacy for supervisees. Analyses revealed the ABLE-S tool is a reliable and valid form for measuring supervisory working alliance, but the use of ABLE in supervision did not have a significant effect on supervisee outcomes compared to the control group. The findings suggest additional training on proper implementation of ABLE and expanded measurements to capture several confounds inherent in the supervisory context are needed in future studies. Practical implications of using ABLE include effective strategies for promoting positive supervisee development and reducing negative effects of stressful work environments that often exist in the social service field.     

Developing a Working Model of Cross-Cultural Supervision: A Competence- and Alliance-Based Framework

Despite numerous suggestions to integrate culture, diversity and social justice issues in clinical supervision, empirical studies on cross-cultural supervision indicate limited uptake of such recommendations. We suggest that a comprehensive model of cross-cultural supervision could benefit the field by guiding supervisors in this task. A working model is proposed based on a foundation of the supervisory alliance and a focus on social work practice competence, integrating strategies to promote self- and relational-reflexivity within the supervisory relationship. The model is comprised of four components: component 1: goal setting to contract on cross-cultural integration in supervision; component 2: active listening for cross-cultural markers; component 3: bonding through the supervisor’s self-reflexivity to foster the supervisee’s self-reflexivity; and component 4: working through tasks for cultural integration in supervision by modelling the supervisor’s relational reflexivity in case formulation and treatment to foster the supervisee’s relational-reflexivity.     

NASW’s Supervisory Leaders in Aging: An Acceptable and Feasible Model for Training and Supporting Social Work Supervisors

Social services are instrumental in addressing challenges associated with aging. Yet, practitioners report needing expanded gerontological knowledge and better supervision. The Supervisory Leaders in Aging (SLA) program of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) was designed to improve gerontological services by strengthening supervision of the social service workforce. With support from the John A. Hartford Foundation, the program was adopted between 2015 and 2017 in four regions, where NASW trained 134 MSW supervisors who support 1200 social service staff, potentially enhancing the well-being of 264,000 clients annually. The SLA curriculum and in-person educational approach constitute a model for supervisor professional development. Quality improvement evaluations suggested feasibility of program adoption and acceptability. Participants rated each of 10 workshops and 97% agreed that instructors were effective, that knowledge was expanded, and that content was relevant, appropriate, and likely to be used. Implications of this model for enhancing supervisory practice are discussed.     

Regression,Self-Disclosure,and the Teach or Treat Dilemma: Implications of a Relational Approach for Social Work Supervision

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.     

Clinician Perspectives on Relationship,Therapeutic Strategy,and Gender Responsiveness in Child Welfare Substance Abuse Settings

There is a growing acknowledgment of client–provider relationship as a determining factor within evidence-based practice implementation. This collective case study of 20 service providers examined the approaches used by clinicians working with substance-abusing mothers involved in child welfare to shed light on their use of empirically informed, gender-specific interventions. Analyses revealed that clinicians struggle to articulate specific evidence-based frameworks, and their approach relies on an intuitively driven client–provider relationship. Clinicians report little institutional support for integration of empirically supported practices into settings where workforce stress plays a critical role, and thus rely on relationship skills to frame practice approach.     

Self-managed Supervision

The growth of professional supervision in social work has been accompanied by complex attempts to theorise key elements of supervisory practice and highlight the need to further examine what constitutes supervisory support in current regulatory environments. Changes in human service organisations resulting from new public management generate a need to theorise broader patterns of support available to human service workers. This article draws on an electronic, mixed-method self-reporting study of advice and support-seeking behaviours of 193 human service professionals in 3 South Australian organisations. The findings indicate the fluidity of current professional supervision practice, with workers seeking professional wisdom, identifying practice direction, and debriefing with a range of colleagues within and outside their organisation. Accordingly, the article confirms that supervisors should no longer be thought of as the sole providers of professional advice and support for human service workers and conceptualises the workers as active agents shaping their own learning.     

Supervising Mental Health Clinicians in The Context of Complex Organisational Dynamics

This article discusses the complex dynamics and challenges of providing supervision to mental health clinicians working within an organisational context when the supervisor is not part of the organisation and has no formal managerial or accountability responsibility. It considers two models of supervision and their application to three supervisory relationships in an organisational context. It concludes that for supervision to be effective there needs to be a consideration of the social defences in operation within the organisation and how they are met by the anxieties and defences of the supervisor and supervisee. This requires a mixed approach by the supervisor of the technical with the inter-subjective as a reliance on one model of supervision risks limiting the effectiveness of the intervention. The role of the supervisor can enable the supervisee to establish a clinical framework and the necessary environment essentials for their practice.     

Lifting the Lid: Perspectives on and Activity within Student Supervision

Practice teaching is central to social work education. Significant changes have occurred in the past 10 years affecting social work education in Scotland. This article reports on the findings of a small-scale study involving the audio recording of supervision sessions and the interviewing of students and practice teachers engaged in a 65-day assessed placement. The research reveals a high level of congruence between students and practice teachers in perspectives on the supervisory relationship, confirms the findings of other studies concerning effective supervision and provides some vivid evidence of practice teacher and student activity within supervision perceived to be conducive to student learning. A specific finding was the association between the use of ‘exploring’ by practice teachers and students engaging in practice analysis. It is concluded that the changes affecting social work education over the past 10 years, on the evidence of this small sample, overall have had a positive impact on the supervisory relationship within practice learning. One area suggested for further study is the potential link between ‘expressing opinion’ by practice teachers and students within supervision and the development of evidence-based practice.     

Trust,Power and Safety in the Social Work Supervisory Relationship: Results from Australian Research

Social work, as a discipline, places considerable importance on the provision of supervision, promoting it as a key process supporting critical reflection and practice improvement. A supervision relationship built on trust has the potential to provide a safe context within which practice issues can be explored. This article reports on an Australian study of social work supervision and the ways in which a trusting supervision relationship supports safe practice and critical reflection. A context of trust within the supervisory relationship is found to promote safe practice, providing the basis for what supervisees felt was satisfying supervision. Within a trusted and supportive supervisory relationship participants wanted and valued challenge which was seen to promote professional growth and positive client outcomes. Whether this occurs, however, depended on how power was exercised and how safe they felt in the supervisory relationship. The research argues the need for social work to reclaim supervision through a revitalised commitment to advancing supervision practice, research, and research-based policies.     

Managing and Adapting Practice: A System for Applying Evidence in Clinical Care with Youth and Families

Concerns about the gap between service quality in mental health systems and the growing literature on scientifically tested treatment approaches has led to multiple policy and practice initiatives calling for greater use of empirically supported interventions (ESIs) in children’s mental health systems. Despite the demonstrated efficacy of these approaches, some concerns remain about the current suitability of ESIs as a single strategy for improving service system quality. Issues raised include (a) the appropriateness of some interventions for individualized care or adaptation in response to emergent events, and (b) the ability for ESIs collectively to yield a comprehensive service array for youth and families. The current paper thus outlines one strategy to complement and extend that work, through a system for organizing and coordinating currently available ESIs as well as for building and adjusting individualized, evidence-informed plans when needed, using dedicated tools to inform treatment design, adaptation, and evaluation in real time. A case example is presented, and implications for treatment and research are discussed.     

Overcoming Barriers to Using Empirically Supported Therapies to Treat Childhood Anxiety Disorders in Social Work Practice

Anxiety disorders are among the most common psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents. Most empirically supported treatments (ESTs) for pediatric anxiety disorders include various cognitive-behavioral methods. Although demonstrated efficacious in controlled and clinic settings, there are barriers to implementing these types of therapies in social work settings due to beliefs about the usefulness of ESTs in community settings; limitations of treatment manuals; time constraints of implementing ESTs; fidelity and flexibility of implementing ESTs; and limited training opportunities. This article provides an overview of ESTs for childhood anxiety disorders, highlighting options for overcoming common barriers to implementing ESTs. Collaborative multi-method approaches to advance implementation of ESTs in social work practice are suggested.     

Safety as a Fifth Dimension in Supervision: Stories from the Frontline

Child and family practice is recognised as a field of social work that has become increasingly complex. While evidence is growing in relation to effective supervision, there has been little research about the attributes of an effective supervisor, or the components of effective supervision. This paper reports on research undertaken in Victoria, Australia, which explored practitioners’ and supervisors’ experiences of effective supervision in this field. Data collection involved in-depth interviews with experienced supervisors and supervisees in order to explore the concept of effective supervision from participants’ perspectives. The data were systematically interrogated using a thematic inductive process, designed to enhance the voice of participants in the research. The study findings confirmed the complexity and centrality of the supervisory relationship, with the experience of a safe supervisory relationship proving essential. The importance of contemporary knowledge, leadership skills, and an enabling organisational and community context were also highlighted.     

Issues in African-American family preservation

This article is concerned with African-American family preservation. The authors' assumptions are that (1) child welfare service takes place in a cultural context; (2) effective work with African-American families requires a culturally relative "nondeficit" perspective on African-American culture; (3) this begins with helping service providers to acquire an analytical approach to culture and factual knowledge about the cultural behavior of clients; and (4) staff members must be prepared through training to implement a cultural knowledge base in transactions with African-American families and must have the supervisory and policy supports to do this. The several practice issues central to African-American family preservation are highlighted.     

Integrative module-based family therapy: application and training

The field of marriage and family therapy is currently at a crossroads. The challenge for contemporary therapists is how to incorporate the wisdom of previous models with the accountability that comes from evidence-based practice. The Integrative Module-Based Family Therapy treatment model provides a formalized series of steps that clinicians can use in their case planning and implementation. It is based on nine clinically relevant modules for assessment and intervention that are consistent with current best practices and empirically supported treatments. It thus meets the need for a structured family therapy practice and training approach that is respectful of the "art" of family therapy while still adhering to the principles of the "science" of evidence-based treatment.     

Social Work Supervision of Staff: A Primer and Scoping Review (2013–2017)

Supervision of staff has a rich history within the social work profession, and is widely valued internationally for the support, knowledge, and skill it is perceived to provide. Moreover, quality supervision is championed for ensuring good client care. However, supervisors practicing within the social work profession have not typically had access to best practice information, nor accessed the parallel research related to the supervision of staff. A supervision primer provides an orientation to the supervision literature, including definitions and disciplinary perspectives. This sets the stage for a scoping review of social work supervision articles for the purpose of supporting supervisors in keeping current, locating, understanding, and applying literature to their practice. Seventy-nine conceptual and empirical articles first-authored by social workers were published in 36 journals between 2013 and 2017. The volume, location, context and nature of these articles are presented, pointing to an increased social work presence in the literature. Implications for supervisory practice, scholarship, and research are discussed.     

Integrating research and clinical training in marriage and family therapy training programs

The future of the profession and practice of marriage and family therapy (MFT) rests with those who promote the integration of research and clinical practice. The Boulder scientist-practitioner model is useful in conceptualizing MFT training, but it is not the perfect solution. Four MFT programs (two master's and two doctoral) are featured in this article for their work in integrating research and practice. Helpful strategies presented include: Encouraging students to question the therapy process; integrating research in the curriculum and supervision; discussing the positives and negatives of empirically supported treatments; focusing on change; and developing creative classroom experiences to use within the scientist-practitioner model.     

Recent Social Work Practitioners’ Understanding and Use of Evidence-Based Practice and Empirically Supported Treatments

The aim of this study was to evaluate how CSWE’s 2008 shift placing more emphasis on research have affected newly trained social workers’ use of evidence-based practice (EBP). This qualitative study examined the educational and practice experiences of newly trained social workers and how those experiences influence the use of EBP and empirically supported interventions/treatments in the field. Thirteen newly graduated social workers were interviewed using a semi-structured interview. Twenty-three codes emerged from the interviews, with the most prominent theme being a sense of overall confusion about EBP. Other themes included lack of educational preparation, lack of agency resources, and prohibitive agency culture. Implications for social work education and practice are discussed.     

Introduction to the Special Issues on the Supervision of Staff and Field Education of Students

Two Special Issues of the Clinical Social Work Journal have been dedicated to building on the social work discipline’s tradition and commitment to the supervision of staff and field education of students. These issues bring together contemporary theorizing, clinical supervisory and field education practice experience and wisdom, and research studies to contribute to the knowledge base for practicing supervisors and field educators. As the first of the Special Issues, this issue has been dedicated to the supervision of staff. In this Introduction, we share the salient aspects of the articles published, as they relate to contemporary social work supervision, relational considerations within the supervisory dyad, models of supervision for fields of specialization, as well as measurement and evaluation. Implications are shared, with highlights and connections for practicing supervisors made throughout.     

Developing Culturally Responsive Supervision Through Yarn Up Time and the CASE Supervision Model

ABSTRACT

This article explores a culturally focused supervision training program supporting Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal supervisors to provide cross-cultural supervision for Aboriginal staff within mainstream and Aboriginal community and human service organisations. The key features of the training program, Yarn Up Time and the CASE supervision model are a culturally respectful approach to cross-cultural professional supervision practice with the purpose of contributing to the development of culturally responsive supervision with Aboriginal staff and their clients. The article concludes with feedback from participants who attended the training and supports the future advancement of cross-cultural supervision practice and models in Australia.

IMPLICATIONS

• There continues to be a need for more culturally responsive supervision for Aboriginal staff and for non-Aboriginal social work practice with Aboriginal people.

• Yarn Up Time and the CASE model is a culturally appropriate approach for supervising Aboriginal staff and non-Aboriginal social workers’ supervision of social workers’ practice with Aboriginal communities.

• Social work supervisors need to be able to use an effective cultural supervision model to support Aboriginal staff in Yarn Up Time.

     

An exploration of the use of power in social work supervisory relationships in Hong Kong

Supervision is considered to be a determining factor in the quality of service to clients, the job satisfaction of social workers, and the level of professional development they achieve. How supervisors use their authority affects their relationships with subordinates, which in turn influences service outcomes. This case study reveals the micro-process of the interplay of power in the supervisor–supervisee dyad, the influence of cultural factors on attitudes toward hierarchical relationships, and subordination to authority in the supervisory dyad. Respondents who considered supervision to be counterproductive or disempowering employed tactics to hide their negative attitude, and concealed important cases and project materials, which hindered the disclosure of mistakes. Redistributing power in the current hierarchical supervisor–supervisee relationship could lead to fewer instances of game playing in the supervisory dyad and facilitate disclosure, which is important in ethical practice.