Abstract
In this chapter, the authors present a model of trauma-informed play therapy supervision for supervisors working with supervisees who have traumatized clients. First, the authors describe the neuro-physiological impact of trauma. Then, they describe four dynamics often experienced by play therapists who work with clients with trauma symptoms. These dynamics include vicarious traumatization, compassion fatigue, countertransference, and parallel process. To mitigate these dynamics, the authors explain play therapy and expressive art supervision techniques, followed by illustrations of these techniques through supervisee vignettes.
TopBackground
Clinical mental health supervision is an intervention provided by a more experienced mental health professional to a less experienced mental health professional (Bernard & Goodyear, 2019). The purposes of clinical supervision are “enhancing the professional functioning of the more junior person; monitoring the quality of professional services offered to the clients; and serving as a gatekeeper for the profession” (Bernard & Goodyear, 2019, p. 9).
Clinical mental health supervision is an essential part of therapists’ development (Bernard & Goodyear, 2019; Borders & Leddick, 2005). The supervision goal is to ensure the therapists’ competence. According to Epstein and Hundert (2002), competence is
the habitual and judicious use of communication, knowledge, technical skills, clinical reasoning, emotions, values, and reflection in daily practice for the benefit of the individual and community being served; it relies on habits of mind, including attentiveness, critical curiosity, awareness, and presence. (p. 227).
The supervisor facilitates the supervisee’s competence by providing teaching, consultation, and counseling (Bernard & Goodyear, 2019) throughout their relationship. Supervisors expand supervisee’s knowledge, skills, self-exploration, and use of self as a change agent who is “fully present, transparent, genuine, and accepting with their clients” (Bernard & Goodyear, 2019, p. 24). Factors that often hinder the supervisee competence include supervisee resistance, attachment, shame, anxiety, need to feel and appear competence, and transference (Bernard & Goodyear, 2019). To overcome these hindrances, supervisors need creative approaches to engage supervisees.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Countertransference: Therapist’s emotional-cognitive reactions to the client, sometimes based on the therapist’s unresolved issues.
Parallel Process: One dyad of the supervision relationship, such as the supervisee-client, reenacting in another dyad of the supervision relationship, such as the supervisor-supervisee.
Compassion Fatigue: The therapist’s emotional and physical exhaustion resulting from working with traumatized clients.
Vicarious Traumatization: The therapist’s experience of being traumatized from hearing or viewing the play of a client who was traumatized.