Standard 4.2: Practising with Clinical Supervision

Registrants required to practise with clinical supervision participate meaningfully to promote the purpose and effectiveness of clinical supervision. Meaningful participation includes such things as communicating a case history, presenting issues and assessments, and raising complex clinical or ethical issues encountered during treatment.

Clinical supervisors and supervisees have a shared responsibility of applying professional judgment to determine the appropriate frequency of clinical supervision. Factors may include:

• The level of experience and competency areas of the supervisee (that is, a newer practitioner will require more frequent clinical supervision)
• The nature of the therapy (modality, clientele, presenting issues)
• Caseload (a supervisee seeing a larger number of clients will require more supervision)
• Other supports available (peer group, consultation, administrative supervision)

Setting regular meetings in advance is an important practice for making clinical supervision a habit and ensuring issues are addressed promptly. For example, a relatively new practitioner such as an RP(Qualifying) registrant, should receive a recommended minimum of approximately one hour of clinical supervision per week while a more experienced practitioner such as an RP working toward independent practice should receive a recommended minimum of approximately one hour every two weeks. Additionally, shorter meetings can be held as needed.

When required clinical supervision hours have been completed, registrants must continue to meet with their supervisor on a regular basis, until such time as they have met all of the requirements for ‘independent practice’, i.e., practice without clinical supervision.

It is the responsibility of supervisees to maintain a record of supervision received. The record shall include:

• name and contact information of the clinical supervisor;
• a copy of the supervision agreement;
• dates and number of hours of clinical supervision received;
• format (individual, dyadic, or group); and
• Issues discussed at meetings or in correspondence with the clinical supervisor.

Clinical supervisors keep a detailed record of clinical supervision provided. In particular, records include the names of supervisees, dates of attendance, number of hours provided, fees paid If any, issues discussed, and any directions given. Group clinical supervision records may be maintained in a group file while keeping individual files for any supervisees seen individually.