Independent Supervision Online Professionals who oversee the practices of novices in the educational, mental health and/or law related professions provide invaluable services that will be of benefit to practitioners, clients and the general public. Kottler (1992, p. xi) indicates that practitioners need to be prepared to be reflective and to manage their own unresolved challenges. Bernard and Goodyear (1992, p. 101, p. 330) suggest that micro training such as supervision can assist supervisees to learn from their experiences perhaps by becoming reflective. Reflectivity can help to reinforce meaningful change and improved practices on the part of practitioners. Kottler (1992, pp. 167-168, 191, 196, 198, 224) mentions that to assist clients, practitioners may be required to be adaptive, flexible and ingenious. Practitioners may also need to view conflicts as being potential “teachable moments” rather than as being maladaptive. DeJong and Berg (2002, pp. 249-250) and Kottler (1992, p. 168) suggest that practitioners can derive significant benefit from educating rather than negating the worth and dignity of clients. Supervision is a tool to assist practitioners to have opportunities for pedagogical experiences that can assist them in working with clients who may be suffering from stress and/or trauma. The following comments were from a graduate student who is enrolled in a counselling related program in the USA. She mentions the need to develop a suitable environment between supervisors and supervisees to enhance pedagogical encounters. She states, “Supervision, of course, can be another way we grow as we are being trained as therapists. I have, once again, had both positive and negative experiences related to supervisors. I had 2 supervisors that I worked great with. I had 3 (2 of which were university profs supervising me as an MFT in training) that I had problems with at various points. Sometimes, I thought they were just plain wrong about me or my work. I also struggled with defensiveness and taking things personally. These are growing edges, obviously, but I think they may also be growing edges for the supervisors, as they present their feedback and thoughts to those they supervise. All 3 of them are very experienced supervisors, but I did not feel that they were always fair or correct or helpful. Supervision is something we have to learn and grow from, but our supervisors are people, too. Everything they say is not necessarily correct or right for us. I think good supervision can be tremendously helpful. An appropriate climate has to be built and maintained, just as with therapy, though. And, very importantly, supervision is not therapy.” For the purposes of confidentiality I have not disclosed identifying information about the graduate student. One way of establishing connections between supervisors and supervisees is by augmenting these relationships with counselling and/or mediation should conflict arise because of differences in thought, knowledge, needs and/or life experiences. Some traumatic situations that professionals may have experienced can be reinforced through the stresses and/or concerns that clients may need to overcome and/or to manage in therapeutic contexts. For example, Pearlman and Saakvitne (1995, pp. 175-180) suggest that survivor therapists may have relational understanding of the emotions, needs and reactions of clients. Pearlman et al (1995, p, 186) mention that it is important that survivor therapists work through their own experiences of being victimised. For some therapists this integration of traumatic material may need to occur on a continuous basis. Kassam-Adams (1999, p. 45) and Rosenbloom, Pratt and Pearlman (1999, p. 75) mention that when practitioners undertake work that triggers their own earlier traumatic experiences, they may be at increased risk of suffering from stress and supervision can assist them to work through personal issues and counter transference. Pearlman et al (1995, p. 176) mention that their peers and others may also stigmatize survivor therapists for having been victimized. Williams and Sommer (1999, p. 242) indicate that it is important for practitioners to be aware of the types of triggers that may reawaken previous trauma for them. Some professionals may not have a capacity to be nurturing towards others in that as professionals they may lack the ability to be empathetic with supervisees and/or clients who may remind them of their own unresolved issues according to Kottler (1992, p. 34). Iliffe & Steed (2000, p. 2) indicate that professionals who experience stress and/or trauma may lack empathy, become judgemental and arrogant. Witnessing clients’ pain poses challenges for most practitioners and individuals who may be particularly vulnerable to stress and/or trauma can include those in the helping, legal, and/or crisis response fields. In part, due to the effects of secondary trauma, practitioners may experience changed perceptions and altered feelings towards clients. These feelings may include hostility, revenge, survivor guilt and dependency. Practitioners who experience stress and/or trauma may become vulnerable to substance abuse, overeating and workaholicism. Survivor therapists may be motivated to become involved with traumatic situations that they themselves have experienced. For example, survivor therapists who may have experienced domestic violence could chose to work with other victims of violence. It can be helpful for practitioners who are involved with human services to have a “big picture” of why they may be involved in trauma work, as these practitioners ideally will retain a vision of what the world could look like without domestic violence. Supervisors can help supervisees to retain the “big picture” in the midst of adversity and to maintain competent practices. The Foundation offers independent supervision online to novices and to those who wish to refresh their professional skills. There is a role for online supervision to assist practitioners who may provide support to students to help learners to meet program requirements such as to have a specified number of hours of supervision. Supervision is an important part of professional development that may also be conducted outside of formal educational environments. In sum, online supervision provides a serviceable option to address the needs of practitioners who prefer or who are unable to access supervision in real time or who wish to augment face-to-face sessions. If distance technologies did not exist then innovations such as online education, training, counselling and supervision could disappear. References Bernard, J.M. & Goodyear, R.K. (1998). Fundamentals of Clinical Supervision. Boston: Allyn and Bacon i> References DeJong, P. & Berg, I.K. (2002). Interviewing for Solutions. (2nd edition). Australia: Wadsworth Iliffe, G. & Steed, L.G. (2000). Exploring the Counsellor’s Experience of Working With Perpetrators and Survivors of Domestic Violence. Journal of Interpersonal Violence 15 (4) http://www.vawprevention.org/research/exploring.shtml Kassam-Adams, N. (1999). In B.H. Stamm, (Ed), Secondary Traumatic Stress. Self-Care Issues for Clinicians, Researchers and Educators. (2nd Edition). Baltimore: Sidran Press Kottler, J.A. (1992). Compassionate Therapy. Working with Difficult Clients. San Francisco: Jossey Bass Pearlman, L.A. & Saakvitne, K.W. (1995). Trauma and the Therapist. Countertransferance and Vicarious Traumatization in Psychotherapy with Incest Survivors. New York: W.W. Norton & Company Rosenbloom, D.J; Pratt, A.C. & Pearlman, L.A. (1999). Helpers’ Responses to Trauma Work: Understanding and Intervening in an Organisation. In B.H. Stamm, (Ed), Secondary Traumatic Stress. Self-Care Issues for Clinicians, Researchers and Educators. (2nd Edition). Baltimore: Sidran Williams, M.B. & Sommer, J.F. (1999). Self-Care and the Vulnerable Therapist. In B.H. Stamm, (Ed), Secondary Traumatic Stress. Self-Care Issues for Clinicians, Researchers and Educators. (2nd Edition). Baltimore: Sidran Press Next Service: Facilitation and Training Previous Service: Counselling   THE TRIDENT FFOUNDATION P.O.Box 8148 Canmore, Alberta T1W 2T9 Canada Phone: 403-678-2918 Fax: 636-216-0941