What is Clinical Supervision?
Although there are many technical definitions of Clinical Supervision, simply stated, it is a formal process between two clinicians in which one takes on the supervisor role and the other is the supervisee. The supervisor provides education, advice, guidance, input, and feedback to the supervisee to ensure quality clinical care and foster the professional growth and development of the supervisee.
Effective supervisors serve as teachers, mentors, consultants, and coaches who not only inspire and promote growth but also observe and evaluate the performance of those being supervised ensuring competency and the successful implementation of best clinical practices.
Why is Clinical Supervision Important?
The primary goal of clinical supervision is to protect the clients being served and ensure the integrity of the clinical services being offered. This includes appropriate implementation of evidence-based practices, regulatory compliance, upholding legal and ethical standards, maintaining cultural competence, tracking and documenting client progress/outcomes, and continuously working to provide the best care possible to clients.
Another equally important goal is to support staff wellbeing and promote staff growth and development. Clinical supervision provides a platform where clinicians can discuss challenges, successes, and areas for improvement and growth. Supervisors provide emotional support and guidance around issues of transference and countertransference. Clinician workload and job satisfaction are also assessed.
Benefits of Clinical Supervision to Staff
Clinical supervision helps staff:
• Continuously improve client quality of care,
• Engage in appropriate assessment, treatment planning, and discharge planning to ensure individual client needs are met,
• Respond more effectively to clinical situations and prevent crises from escalating,
• Practice safely and respond ethically in the face of real dilemmas,
• Acquire knowledge and skills that foster development,
• Obtain and maintain professional credentials,
Organizational and Administrative Benefits
Clinical Supervision ensures staff:
• Comply with regulatory licensing and accreditation standards,
• Follow organization policies and procedures,
• Promote the mission, vision, and values of the organization,
Additionally, clinical supervision provides administrators with tools to:
• Maintain open communication with staff and facilitate in conflict resolution,
• Evaluate job performance,
• Respond to risk and thereby reduce overall liability,
• Measure staff satisfaction and improve staff retention rates
How Can Simplifyance Help?
Simplifyance has designed a highly responsive software solution that provides real-time digital access to specific tools to help clinicians manage ongoing documentation and supervision requirements. We have customized an online clinical supervision tool that streamlines the process by offering the following:
Ease of Access- Whether you’re a new or seasoned supervisor, the tool offers easy, step-by-step questions and checklists that assess individual goals for professional development, supervisee strengths and areas for improvement, as well as clinical documentation and clinical competency proficiency. It also allows for case consultation notes and tasks needing to be completed before the next supervision session.
Regulatory Compliance- The supervision tool provides a digital record for both the supervisor and the supervisee, and it is readily available should a regulator request it. Additionally, the tool meets Joint Commission and CARF standards for clinical supervision and clinical supervision documentation requirements.
Metrics and Reporting- The tool was designed to measure and track data around clinician documentation and competency proficiency. The platform also provides a reporting feature that can be helpful when completing performance evaluations and identifying opportunities for professional growth and development.
Author:
Amy Armstrong is the Senior Advisory Specialist at Simplifyance. She is responsible for helping clients understand and interpret standards and regulations for both accrediting agencies and state licensing bodies, as well as supporting process improvement initiatives. She has a BA in Psychology and an MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Amy is dually licensed as a Professional Counselor and a Licensed Addiction Counselor. Her diverse professional background includes being a servant leader in the behavioral health field for over a decade, both inpatient and outpatient, along with over twenty years of business management and supervision experience. Amy’s passion lies in being of service to others. Her approach is collaborative and she believes in being a resource for clients that provides support, guidance, and knowledge she has gained throughout her career. Her focus is to build solid relationships that foster growth, trust, and integrity.