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.
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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.