Growing Professionally, Clinically and Personally: A Reflective Supervision Group for Clinicians

Are you looking to participate in a collaborative learning environment where you can learn to understand both yourself and your clients in a more compassionate way? Our Reflective Group Supervision (RGS) was developed out of work at the Center for the Developing Child and Family at the Ackerman Institute for the Family. This model rests on the foundation provided by the Ackerman Relational Approach as well as individual reflective supervision practices, narrative, emotion-focused, and attachment-based therapies.

RGS is an innovative approach to supervision and consultation that supports clinicians and other helping professionals in understanding clients’ needs through a lens of curiosity, non-judgment, and empathy. It is a collaborative process that is mindful of the parallel process in the clinical system and guides clinicians first to reflect on their own experiences in their work and then to address the clinical needs of their clients. The process of a reflective group supervision session entails four steps: (1) attending to clinicians’ experience and needs; (2) understanding the individual and/or family system and larger context in which they are embedded; (3) examining the clinician’s social location and the effect this has on the dynamics in the therapy; and (4) identifying clinical interventions.

RGS takes a different approach from more typical supervision, steering away from premature hypothesizing, problem solving and advice giving. It first attends to the emotional well-being and experience of clinicians in their work with clients (individuals, couples, or families). In this safe and supportive environment, participants are more reachable, responsive, and engaged. From this foundation of safety and non-judgment, they are able to access their deeper emotions which provide an inner guidance system for understanding the meaning they make and the actions they take. They enhance their reflective capacities, which include validation, empathy, compassion, curiosity, attunement, and mindfulness. All of this enables participants to be more open to new ideas and ways of working with their clients, thus enhancing their confidence and effectiveness.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Participants increase their capacities to identify their own feelings and thoughts and reflect on their impact on their work with clients.
• Participants enhance their reflective capacities of validation, empathy, compassion, curiosity, attunement, and mindfulness.
• Participants increase their understanding of systems theory and the impact of social and political contexts on their clinical work.
• Participants identify their social locations and how to bring these actively into work with clients.

Dates/Times:

Wednesdays, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
February 4, February 18, March 4, March 18

Wednesdays, 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
April 1, April 15, May 6, June 3

Who Should Attend:

Mental health professionals, counselors, and other helpers

Limited to 8 registrants!

Special Notes: Sessions will be audio recorded. Participants will complete brief pre- and post-surveys. Informed consent and confidentiality procedures follow IRB standards.

Meet Kathryn Hall, LCSW:

As the Managing Director of Social Work at Achievement First charter schools, I bring a deep passion for social justice, resilience-based social work practice, and emotional wellness to my role. With a professional background rooted in child welfare and education, my career has been dedicated to advocating for burnout prevention among social workers. I firmly believe that supportive supervision styles are key to empowering mental health practitioners, enhancing their impact on clients, and imbuing their work with greater meaning. This approach not only contributes to the personal and professional growth of practitioners but also fosters sustainability within their careers.