This workshop is designed for clinical supervisors to explore challenges and complexities in their supervision practice.

We will discuss some common challenges that arise for professional counselors, and how these complex, multi-layered difficulties can result in a variety of not-so-helpful supervisee responses, sometimes leading to Licensing Board investigations and possible disciplinary actions. With a strong supervisory alliance, supervisors can anticipate and proactively address such situations, being alert to providing timely assistance in events that affect our supervisees.

Participants can expect to engage in active dialogue and exploration of our clinical supervision practices using some examples from Oregon Licensing Board-identified situations. We will discuss the role of supervisee non-disclosure and some assumptions supervisors make in clinical supervision, missing opportunities to help supervisees avoid problematic situations and adverse outcomes in their clinical practice.

During this training, participants will:

• Review core ethical principles related to the practice of counseling and supervision
• Discuss the distinctions between “ordinary mistakes” and practices that can lead to problematic situations and possible licensing board actions
• Explore aspects of clinical practice that increase the vulnerability of our supervisees to problematic practice patterns
• Apply fundamental supervision practices that address and minimize supervisee non-disclosure
• Recognize aspects of supervisory humility (intellectual, relational, cultural) that can assist in broaching and having deeper supervision discussions of challenging situations.
• Identify aspects of the supervisory working alliance and the importance this holds for maintaining oversight of sound clinical practices for our supervisees.
• Explore technical aspects of providing Board-mandated disciplinary supervision, including increased sensitivity, awareness and alert responses to “warning signs” of potentially problematic practice.