Contact NAMFT

NAMFT Board of Directors
Click here to contact the NAMFT Board of Directors.

Family Therapy Resources
If you want resources for therapists in the form of articles, books, audios, or videos, , please access FamilyTherapyResources.net. For information clinical supervision, please use the Search Directory feature at www.familytherapyresources.net/search.asp, and type "supervision" in the Keyword box.

The following is Contracting for Effective Supervision written by Dr. Layne Prest of University of Nebraska Medical Center, the author of "The Fly on the Wall Reflecting Team Supervision" which you can access at Family Therapy Resources.

Contracting for Effective Supervision

Learning about people and the process of therapy is ongoing. One should not assume this process stops at graduation, obtaining licensure, having a certain number of years in the field, or (even) becoming an approved supervisor. As therapists we need to continue to grow, both personally and professionally. Part of this growth includes ongoing reflection, gathering new information, incorporating different perspectives, and seeking feedback from others. Obviously one formalized format for this process is clinical supervision.

In my opinion the most important part of supervision is negotiating an initial contract for the structure and process involving the therapist, supervisee, clients, and others in the treatment system (agency administrators, office managers, other group supervision members, etc). It may seem strange to think about something as formal as developing a "contract" - especially if your supervisor is also a relatively close personal or professional acquaintance. "Of course we have the same ideas about therapy (supervision, lifeŠ), I’ve known her for years!" Well, maybeŠ.

It is helpful for both parties involved to come to the initial supervision session(s) with ideas about what they want. Important topics to consider addressing include the obvious and the obscure. Some are similar to those a therapist should have in mind to discuss at a first therapy session. Others are particular to the supervision relationship. The topics include:

Time, place, fee, cancellation notice, confidentiality (with respect to the supervisee as well as the clients being discussed), managing legal and ethical aspects of cases, liability and malpractice insurance, theoretical orientation, style and technique preferences, supervisee/therapist training goals, therapists’ use of self, addressing diversity issues, hierarchy and power, handling disagreements about clinical approach, and so on.

Some supervisors and their supervisees may find using a checklist or other written document helpful in structuring the relationship and facilitating the discussion. Others may prefer a less formalized approach. Either way, a "contracting" process helps the two parties to clarify issues (even uncomfortable ones), focus your work, and provide a context for gauging progress. A number of articles and books are available to help with this process. I encourage you to check them out or talk with an AAMFT Approved Supervisor. Approved Supervisors have been through their own supervision as therapists-in-training, followed by a formalized training process (in graduate school and/or workshops), and a period of time as a supervisor-in-training under the supervision of an experienced AAMFT Approved Supervisor. Call on one or more to give you their perspective on supervision so that you can contract for a process that is effective for both you and your clients.

The following are comments from an AAMFT­approved supervisor, Dr. Gloria Gonzalez-Kruger of University of Nebraska at Lincoln, and her supervisee.

As a supervisor, it is rewarding for me to observe my supervisees move through their professional developmental stages. Knowing that I have contributed to their growth in a systematic manner using my theoretical and experiential training as a supervisor gives me the confidence necessary to work with them on their self of therapist issues, client cases, and ethical, legal, and practice related issues.

Her supervisee, Casandra Dittmer:
Supervision has allowed me to grow as a person and a professional in the areas that are important to me. It has been a very personal, yet very generalizable experience in that I choose the areas I want to work on and am encouraged to apply this work to my clinical skills. I find myself confident, knowledgeable, and also striving to continue learning as a result of my experience in supervision.

This was almost a therapeutic exercise for me - it made me think about what I have really gained in supervision and how I can start being personally responsible for these gains once my hours are met.

HOME | MEMBERSHIP | CONSUMER INFO. | NEWS & EVENTS | CONTACT US