Clinical Supervision for When You Need a Different Perspective
Being a therapist is harder than most people realize. It can be hard to stay present to others’ needs. Likewise, it can be tough to figure out how best to support clients when it triggers your own stuff. If this describes your situation, clinical supervision can help.
The reality is that all therapists need clinical supervision at times. This is true whether you’re a practicing professional or training to become a therapist. Because of this, I provide clinical supervision to other therapists and students.
A Contemplative and Creative Arts Approach to Clinical Supervision
As an Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS), I take a contemplative and creative arts approach to supervision. I believe this approach can help you tap into your own wisdom and knowing. Since you are the one treating your client(s), it’s important for you to know what you know. Likewise, it’s important to have the wisdom to know there are things you may not know. A contemplative and creative arts approach to supervision can help you foster both.
Approaching challenges from a contemplative or creative mindset can yield profound insights. You might not have known these insights otherwise if you relied only on your “thinking mind.” That is because problems sometimes require us to step back from the situation. This helps us see the bigger picture.
Below are the areas around which I provide supervision:
For Professionals
Many of us do experience burnout at times. Right now you’re finding that you can’t hold onto other people’s suffering anymore. Some of this could be due to your own life challenges. For whatever reason, you’re having a hard time keeping your own problems outside of your work. You need someone to talk to.
Likewise, many of us can feel stuck in our work with clients. Right now you’re recognizing that you need an outside perspective of what is happening within the session. This may be because therapy seems to be at a standstill or because new dynamics are popping up. You need someone that you can explore these things with.
Otherwise, you may be starting out in private practice. Right now you’re finding that being your own boss is taking some time to adjust to. You have ideas about your business that you’d like to talk about with someone who has been there, done that.
Additionally, you may also find the idea of incorporating music into your work to be interesting. Right now you’re feeling as though you need a new way of approaching your work with clients. As a result, you’re wondering how you might incorporate music into your clinical work. At the same time, you want to make sure that you’re working within the scope of your practice. You want to consult with someone trained in using music therapeutically within mental health.
For Students
As the opening line to the song, “The Greatest Love of All” goes, “I believe the children are the future.” Because of that, I also provide supervision to music therapy and counseling students. I work directly with university training programs and students. However, clinical music therapy practicums or internships are not available at this time.
Things We Might Do in Supervision
I understand that you may be wondering what supervision with me might be like. Below are examples of things that we might do within sessions:
- Mindfulness Meditation: Mindfulness meditation can help you come into the present moment. From this place, we can explore the situation with curiosity, acceptance, and compassion. Being present in this way is foundational to any therapeutic relationship.
- Improvising: Improvising can take on different forms. It can involve vocalizing or playing instruments. By making music as a way to communicate and express yourself, you can enter a state of presence and flow. As a result, the music created can lead you to greater insight into what’s going on.
- Music Listening and Lyric Analysis involves using recorded music. In this setting, songs can serve as an avatar for yourself, your client, or the clinical situation. By selecting specific songs, we can explore their meanings and representations. This can allow for another level of awareness and insight.
If you are looking for a different approach to supervision, contact Faith to find out more.