The industry has a well-known phrase for those moving from a therapist to a clinical supervisory position: “I was a therapist on Friday and Monday I woke up as a supervisor.” A promotion to a supervisor position is almost always based on the employee having strong clinical skills, which makes sense.
But of course, strong clinical skills are not enough. And while some who are promoted receive supervisory training, frequently this shift occurs without formal supervision or coaching by the agency who promotes you. Not investing in supervisory training comes at a cost to the organization, both in a negative impact on the new supervisor and on her new supervisees, as well as to clients. And this is especially true for those who work with trauma.
The need for supervisory coaching is amplified when working with clients who have experienced trauma. Trauma-effective leadership is a specific skillset that is necessary to protect the wellbeing of supervisors and supervisees, and to ensure positive therapy outcomes.
At Wilhelm Therapy & Consulting, we’ve begun providing trauma-effective supervisory coaching, which includes:
- Teaching and operationalizing principles of trauma-effective organizations
- Incorporation of characteristics of trauma-effective leadership, such as demonstrating and implementing trust and safety
- Reflective supervision practices
- Exploration of self as a supervisor – what do you need to sustain your practice?
- Maintaining supervisor, team, and supervisee wellbeing
If you have interest in trauma-effective supervisory coaching, shoot me an email at tonya@wilhelmtherapy.com.