Clinical Supervision as Transformative Dialogue: A Co-Creation of Meaning for Personal Development

This paper describes the inter-subjective interactions, the spaces between the subject and subject during the process of supervision, as transformative dialogue. Through this process, this paper explores and develops an understanding of the personal development and growth that occurs between the supervisees and supervisor from both perspectives.     

In the mainstream model of outcome studies, the researcher remains objective, neutral and removed from the entire process. Similarly, within the process of clinical supervision, the supervisor maintains an expert position and offers little towards orienting the needs, goals and preferences of their supervisees.
As a clinical supervisor and Director of a Family Service Centre in Singapore, I would like to use the ideas from social constructionist when supervising my clinical team. I am acknowledging at the onset that there is no such thing as an objective supervisor and that I am as much influenced and challenged as my supervisees.
Social construction is not a theory or technique but a philosophy, a way of understanding that focuses on the co-creation of meaning through meaningful conversations or dialogue. It is within a particular context that words, terminologies, individual and group values become real and relevant. Outside that given context, it becomes just another academic pursuit devoid of any real meaning.  Some basic ideas and assumptions of the social constructionist position are:

a) It takes a critical or “not-knowing” (Anderson) stance towards objective knowledge. Knowledge can only be understood through the dynamic interactions and shared experiences between subjects. Furthermore, it is through collaborative relationships (Gergen, 1999) that any form of description or explanation can be derived.

b)  Another basic assumption is the emphasis on context or situation and historical/cultural specificity of the subjects. Any generalization or conclusion can only be understood and interpreted within a certain context.  Each group of people within any context uses and understands knowledge and language in its own different way. Hence, meaning is situational and contextual.

c) As human experiences can only be understood within a particular social context, the meaning created can assume multiple perspectives and  possibilities. Thus, this calls for meaningful collaboration and dialogue between and among subjects. This approach inevitably invites and leads to some level of uncertainty or variety that is anything but predictable.  
The supervision format will take on three distinct positions as described by Pare (1995). As the supervisor, the first is as the facilitator and director (as in the skills required to facilitate the process) of the supervision process. In the second position, I am consciously engaged within the experiential world of each individual. The third position allows me the space to co-create with supervisee the unfolding of meaningful supervision, clinical competency and growth in general.

To accomplish the study of Clinical Supervision as Transformative Dialogue, I will be administering the following tools:

a) Kern’s Lifestyle Scale will be administered at the beginning to assist in stirring an interest into supervisee’s preferred lifestyle in relation to their clinical work. The purpose of the scale is to facilitate a co-created meaningful conversation into the goals and needs within the clinical supervision context.
b) To track the movements of the supervisor-supervisee sessions, the Outcome Ratings Scale (ORS) and Session Rating Scale (SRS) will be administered. Although the ORS and SRS are used within the client-counselor perspective, I am adapting and applying it within the supervisor-supervisee context.
c)  From the SRS, I will interview the supervisees as a group and then individually the supervisees who had the highest and lowest SRS scores.

Steps b) and c) will be repeated after each group supervision session. The purpose of this methodology is to facilitate an in-depth meaningful conversation into the topic proper

To further enhance this dialogical approach, three therapists, comprising one Master level Family Therapy student and two experienced clinicians are invited to keep a diary of their personal experiences of professional and personal growth through supervision. As the author of this study and one of the subjects that is part of the whole process, I will be keeping a daily journal that will capture my thoughts and experiences.
The formal research project will begin in October 2008 until July 2009. However relationship building and the co-creation of meaning is an on-going process that goes beyond the formal supervision time. Through the above processes and meaningful conversations, I hope to understand and discover what it takes to co-create supervision as transformative dialogue.