Welcome to the Well@Work podcast from the University of Kentucky Center on Trauma and Children. This podcast is made possible by a grant from SAMHSA to the Kentucky Department of Behavioral Health, Developmental, and Intellectual Disabilities and the UK Center on Trauma and Children.
On this episode of the podcast, Dr. Holly Huber Gifford discusses reflective supervision as a strategy to enhance staff members’ well-being.
Hello, I'm Holly Huber Gifford, a post-doctoral scholar at the UK Center on Trauma and Children. Today's Well@Work podcast is on reflective supervision.
If your work involves serving or treating people who have experienced adversity and/or trauma, you are likely familiar with the process of supervision. You may meet with your supervisor on a regular basis to discuss your plans for a case or to get help with any challenges you have faced while providing treatment or services. Or you may serve as a supervisor who provides feedback and guidance related to your supervisees’ cases to ensure their clients or patients are being well served.
In reflective supervision, however, supervisees and supervisors play different roles with a different goal in mind, which we will explore today. By learning about reflective supervision, you as a supervisor or supervisee can request to include this practice or begin using it in your work.
Reflective supervision has been used in fields like infant mental health and social work for decades. It is a practice that regularly sets aside time to intentionally consider your emotional responses to your work. It is also a time to consider how your reactions may be impacting your work.
As a supervisee in reflective supervision, you may reflect on your personal thoughts, feelings, and memories that come up when you are working with a particular case. You should also be prepared to set the agenda for the supervision meeting, including which case or cases you would like to discuss along with any associated thoughts and feelings.
As a supervisor, your role is to listen non-judgmentally to the supervisee, provide them space, and direct them as needed to reflect on their experiences, and offer guidance and support.
For this practice to be effective, the participants in supervision must have developed a strong working relationship where the supervisee trusts their supervisor, feels safe to share their authentic observations, feelings, and thoughts, and expects to be supported by their supervisor. In doing so, proponents argue that regular participation in reflective supervision can reduce burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and decrease turnover in staff.
An Example
Annie is a child welfare worker who regularly works with children that have experienced abuse and neglect. Annie was recently assigned to work with Emma, a six-year-old girl who was physically abused by her mother. Every time Annie works with Emma and her mother, she finds herself thinking about her own six-year-old daughter and notices herself feeling angry at Emma's mother.
Annie feels guilty about these thoughts and often procrastinates work related to Emma's case to avoid her thoughts and feelings. In Annie's supervision meetings, her supervisor asks her how Emma and her mother are responding to Annie's guidance. Annie reports that the family is actively engaged in services and that she does not have any questions.
A few weeks later, while working with the family, Annie became so upset by her thoughts and feelings that she snapped at Emma's mother when she asked a question about discipline. This damaged Annie's rapport with both Emma and her mother and resulted in Emma's mother requesting a new worker.
Annie's work was negatively impacted by her inability to reflect on the emotions she experienced during work and their impact on her work. This situation may have been prevented if Annie and her supervisor engaged in reflective supervision.
Four Tips for Reflective Supervision
So, what can you do if you think you or your employees could benefit from reflective supervision? Here are four tips.
First, schedule and prioritize regular reflective supervision. It is less likely that reflective supervision will occur if time is not set aside on both the supervisees’ and supervisors’ schedules. Additionally, it is important that time for reflection is scheduled on a regular ongoing basis—for example, for an hour every month, not as a one-time meeting or something to schedule when issues have already arisen. Finally, reflective supervision must be prioritized by both supervisor and supervisee. Pressures to prioritize caseload or productivity will likely undermine reflective practice.
Second, be aware of differing roles. Reflective supervision is different than typical case-focused supervision. Supervisees must learn to develop reflective skills and speak about reflections openly and honestly. Supervisors must practice non-judgment and use questions to promote reflection while primarily listening and providing space for the supervisee to speak and reflect. Supervisors must also work to foster relationships with supervisees that are built on trust, consistency, and collaboration.
Third, consider the format. In settings where multiple supervisees are assigned to one supervisor and the supervisor's time and resources are limited, supervisors could consider holding reflective supervisions in a group format. When doing so, supervisors should still follow tips one and two. Group supervision should be regularly scheduled and prioritized, and supervisors must create a safe space for supervisees. In group supervisions, supervisors may need to spend additional time setting guidelines for supervisees regarding privacy and non-judgment to ensure that supervisees feel confident in their ability to reflect and share openly with each other.
Fourth, prepare for tiered supervision. Supervisors holding reflective supervision for their supervisees should also receive their own consistent reflective supervision time with a supervisor. The supervisor's supervisor can model reflective practice, help the supervisor develop the skills needed to hold effective reflective supervision, and provide the space for the supervisor to share their own reflections about their work.
These strategies are just a place to start. For more tips on how to implement reflective supervision, visit our website and remember to stay well at work.
Thank you for listening to this episode of the podcast. Follow the link in the video description for more resources on our Well@Work website. And of course, stay tuned for more episodes on topics that will keep you well at work.