Workshops

The Dynamics and Skills of Effective Individual and
Group Clinical Supervision

Lawrence Shulman, MSW, Ed.D, Alex Gitterman, MSW, PhD

GENERAL WORKSHOP FORMAT
Drs. Shulman and Gitterman will conduct the morning and afternoon workshops in a presentation and discussion format, inviting workshop participants to join in the discussion. They will use clinical supervision examples drawn from a wide range of settings and will invite issues and examples from participants. In this way, the theoretical material is kept close to the daily experiences of participants.

The Dynamics and Skills of Effective Clinical Supervision:
Part 1 (Thursday morning – 9am to 12noon)
The focus of this workshop will be on method - what the supervisor does in interaction with staff. The four phases of work (preliminary, beginning, work, and ending/transitions) will be used to organize the discussion. Essential skills in communication, relationship building and problem solving will be described and illustrated. Participants will be encouraged to share their own experiences. Issues to be raised may include:

• Contracting with staff members as a new supervisor (promoted from within or hired from outside);
• Contracting with new staff member;
• Using memory work in conferencing on cases;
• Supervising defensive staff members;
• Avoiding the illusion of work;
• Evaluating staff performance;
• The supervisor's role as teacher;
• Feeling "caught in the middle" between staff and administration.

Group Supervision of Clinical Staff: Part 2
(Thursday afternoon, 1:30pm to 4:30pm)
The afternoon workshop will build on the morning session to explore how to use group supervision to help workers deal with clinical practice issues. This workshop is designed to help the supervisor understand the dynamics of group/team work and to develop the strategies and skills needed to achieve positive outcomes. While the focus will be on group supervision, many of the concepts, strategies and skills can be applied to the supervision relationship in general. Issues to be raised may include:

• Contracting skills such as clarifying the group meeting purpose and role of the group supervisor;
• Reaching for feedback from staff to encourage staff “ownership” of the group;
• Dealing with underlying issues related to the authority of the supervisor as it may impact the development of the team;
• Inter-ethnic issues that may impact group cohesion (for example, a female supervisor with male supervisees; a white group leader with African-American staff group members; or tension between front-line workers related to these differences);
• Challenging the illusion of work when staff avoids tough and taboo issues (for example, race, sexual orientation, death, job threats) and stays at a surface level of discussion;
• Dealing with the “deviant member” of the staff group whose behaviors is experienced by the supervisor as destructive to group cohesion. Helping the staff group to develop the ability to give honest and yet still supportive consultation to frontline workers on specific cases;
• Helping staff to learn how to use ideas and suggestions from other staff without becoming defensive and resistant;
• Individual members who are quiet all of the time and others who never stop talking;
• Understanding and addressing the common problem of a staff group using “fight” or “flight” when facing difficulty issues.

Biographies of Drs. Shulman and Gitterman