Nothing moves us to learn like passionate curiosity does. This shapes my perspective on clinical supervision, whether working with a student in their initial internship, final internship or clinical placement, or a graduate working towards their independent clinical certification.
My essential role as a supervisor is to encourage learning, to ensure the application of evidence-based treatment, and to support supervisees in protecting the wellbeing of their clients. In pursuit of this, I ask a lot of questions that help to activate your curiosity about yourself and your clients, the way that your client and their world interact, and areas of clinical technique that will enhance your ability to work effectively with the client populations and challenges which most interest you.
I’m not saying something new if I claim that therapy is not just a science, but an art as well. Part of what makes it an art is that we use ourselves as the tool: our senses, our mirror neurons, our feelings and responses, our personal and professional experiences, our tone of voice and body language and presence. There’s no such thing as a fully objective human being and good therapy is not just a set of clinical techniques used according to an algorithm. Because bringing our whole selves to the work is an integral part of learning psychotherapy, I am committed to making supervision both intellectually and emotionally safe. To do this, just as when I’m working with my clients, I interrogate my own biases and perspectives to help developing psychotherapists follow their own, most genuine path of intrapersonal and intellectual development.
Doing therapy requires us to bear significant challenges both intra- and inter-personally, often made more difficult by systemic discrimination, impersonal bureaucracies and financial realities. On days when we might feel overwhelmed by those challenges and struggle to access our usual well of compassion, tapping into our curiosity allows us to do what we most want to do: provide excellent care to the people who have entrusted us with that privilege.
As a therapist, I personally work from a harm reduction model and rely heavily on motivational interviewing, mindfulness, and cognitive and behavioral techniques, sometimes referred to as integrative harm reduction psychotherapy. This is not the single best way for a therapist to work, nor is it the only approach I have supported supervisees in learning, although I delight in seeing therapy trainees learn how magical motivational interviewing can be, especially when working with clients who do not have a clear grasp of their own internal motivation for growth and change (yet!).
I have experience in and enjoy working with supervisees at multiple levels of clinical education, including Masters in Social Work or Masters in Counseling trainees and recent graduates. I am open to working directly with supervisees and under contract for organizations that require a supervisor for clinical social work.
Please contact me via email at laura@placeforpsychotherapy.com to discuss rates and availability.
placefortherapy.wordpress.com 