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Does anyone have any advice or guidance on how to supervise junior staff. I have just started a new band 6 post and will be supervising a band 4 and band 5 staff. I have mentored students but never a staff member so any advice will be great
Hi everyone, I hope everyone is having a lovely day,
I'm super excited about starting a new role as a new graduate in an early intervention setting, however, I am really nervous about the challenges I may face in this new role, I have started researching certain topics that may be relevant to this setting ( e.g podcast, journal articles,) and honestly, it can be quite overwhelming,
Hence, I was hoping to reach out to anyone here, if there is any specific topics that I should look into? and if there is any mentorship program that I can look into to seek further professional support, thank you!
Kind Regards, June
Hi June. I'm just passing on a comment from Balvir Kaur on LinkedIn: "Congratulations! I'm sure you will be fine. Take your time, set your objectives, make sure you communicate and ask questions. You will have a supervisor and a supportive team. Use your resources (i.e. colleagues) and keep reflecting on practice. Be positive."
Today I read about Olympic athletes opening up about the relentless pressures of performing to their max and the mental health problems such as performance anxiety and depression as a result.
I don't mean to compare OTs with Olympic athletes, but I know that some OTs work in very stressful environments, are expected to deal with a huge workload, perform too long beyond healthy limits, meanwhile trying to satisfy their clients and most likely their manager too.
The question is: are you satisfied yourself? How long are you able to perform at this level? How long do you want to perform at this level? What do you need right now to stay happy and healthy? How do you prefer to work? How can you align your work with your values and life view? How can you make this happen?
Sometimes we need to step back, take a breath and be…
Dear Jennifer.
Glad to read that you felt less alone in this after reading my post.
A safe, non-judgemental space to explore values, expand perceptions and explore options can go a long way.
Please feel free, at any time, to contact me to explore this further if you like. As an OT Coach I provide free 'chemistry sessions' (potentialcoachingonline@gmail.com)
Take care.
Dear fellow Occupational Therapists, My question is about how other Therapists use supervision? What are other people's experiences of supervision and how did you use it in your clinical area? What made it 'work' for you and what has made it truly awful for you? How do others navigate having to relate to the same supervisor as both a clinical mentor and also as a line manager? Does this mixture work or is it inheritently flawed? I hope to hear from you soon. With thanks.
I think there are two types of supervision - managerial supervision and clinical supervision, and the two should not be done by the same person. Management supervision is very much about the quality of work, operational issues, up to date with mandatory training etc. Clinical supervision should be about new learning, a place to offload, a place to reflect - which is why it is never a good idea for the one person to "supervise" both!! Your manager may have to challenge you on something operational and then switch to a confidante while you vent about that operational challenge! I used to have outside clinical supervision and it was fantastic for my confidence and reflections as it was with an old colleague who I trusted. Sadly this was stopped, and I now have clinical supervision from someone who is nice, but I wouldn't speak to in confidence. So I feel now I am missing out on some really good learning.
OT Circles Engager
@gavin.hamilton1983 just being a messenger, with a few replies others have given, via the Hub's social media post about it...
[Facebook group, 'Occupational Therapy Community']:
Lauren: "Use an appraisal tool and record noted developments and reflections. It's as much about prep of supervisee as supervisor to listen and provide a positive environment."
Gabrielle: "I recommend getting training as a clinical supervisor. It is a specific skillset. I use 2 supervision models which I am trained in - the TAPES Model and the 7 Eyed Model. Both are great frameworks. Set supervision goals and make sure to differentiate between line management and supervision as a reflective practice for practice growth."
Amy: "Depends if it's clinical supervision or not. You can be a clinical supervisor and someone else does the rest of the supervision. Have a good structure with an agenda before, what you talked about, goals and actions. The supervisee should be doing a big chunk of the work. You can tie your goals to their JDR."
Mary: "The HCPC website has loads of info on supervision approaches and models."
[LinkedIn page of The Occupational Therapy Hub]:
Jane: "Whatever model you choose, always start with" how are you?" and not just re work but be interested in what other stuff is going on in their world. Encourage supervisees to see it as their time to ask anything. Ask them to maybe bring a case study they have been finding challenging. Use a coaching model to help them think through options. Can also be a live session where you joint work with them or observe them and feed back for their CPD."
Joanna: "As a recent graduate and entry-level OT practitioner, I wonder how mid-level practitioners can apply these principles in a natural but intentional way, particularly when faced with time constraints and competing priorities. The above graphic is useful as an exercise in perspective-taking from both parties - very helpful in relationship building and problem solving, but lacking in practical application outside of a structured fieldwork placement model. Open to suggestions and ideas - we are better clinicians when we can learn from each other."