What it is and when to seek it
I have held clinical leadership positions at community mental health agencies and justice reform non-profits. Additionally, I have consulted with nonprofits to support them in effectively building and managing clinical, grant-based programs and to directly support their clinical staff.
My orientation is person-centered, strengths-based, and trauma- and systems- informed. I use an integrated supervision framework called Bernard’s Discrimination Model of Supervision, accounting for the clinician’s stage of development, skill level, and self awareness. I am also a certified compassion fatigue professional and bring this into supervision and consultation.
Consultation
Consultation occurs between two professionals who have approximately the same level of expertise, licensure, and/or experience. We all need ongoing consultation to improve our efficacy as therapists and to explore biases and blind spots. I offer a space where you can be brave enough to do so honestly.
Many new supervisors and managers are promoted without being offered additional training. I can help you with the following:
- Knowing what is needed for licensure supervision
- Identifying a model of supervision
- Developing a supervision contract
- Giving effective feedback
- Documenting supervision
I offer consultation to managers and agencies struggling to create safe, culturally aware, trauma informed environments for staff and people in services. Perhaps you have noticed that particular groups of staff are more likely to experience burnout and compassion fatigue in your workplace. Maybe you’re in a nonprofit struggling to retain quality staff. There are steps managers and agencies can take to address compassion fatigue and burnout. Reach out to me – I’d love to help you.
EMDR Consultation
I am an EMDRIA-Approved EMDR therapist and Consultant-In-Training (CIT), which means I can offer up to 15 of the required 20 hours of consultation towards your EMDR Certification. Consultation supports your technique through the 8 phases and 3 prongs of EMDR therapy.
Consult with me and learn from:
- My experience as a clinician and supervisor who has worked in courts, private practice, community health and community mental health
- My understanding of systems and social determinants of health
- A certified compassion fatigue professional
- A certified perinatal mental health therapist
- My advanced EMDR trainings in somatic psychology, IFS and EMDR, using EMDR to treat addiction
- My areas of specialization and interest
Reach out if you’d like to learn more about working together.
Supervision
Good clinical supervision should provide the following:
- Support
- Learning opportunities
- Ongoing feedback from the supervisor on your clinical skill and documentation
- Openings for feedback from the supervisee to supervisor
- Exploration of identities and intersectionality to build self awareness of biases and support clients
- Exploration of your learning style so that the supervisor is supporting you individually
How you know whether you’ve found the right supervisor is an incredibly personal decision. What works for me may not work for you – it’s as personal a decision as finding the right therapist, because you are putting your trust in someone to help you explore and challenge your biases and support your growth as a therapist/social worker/addiction counselor/mental health counselor.
There is an inherent power imbalance between supervisee and their clinical supervisor, and this is exacerbated when the supervisor is also responsible for the supervisee’s employment and/or ability to become licensed. This should be addressed in supervision more than once and the supervisor needs to be transparent about expectations for clinical hours and/or job expectations.