If you are an up and coming therapist nearing the end of your masters degree in counselling psychology you might wonder what exactly clinical supervision is all about. Additionally, you may even be experiencing some anxiety. (But don’t worry, we addressed that here).

We thought we would take a bit off your plate today and warm you into what you could expect in a typical clinical supervision meeting in Toronto or Ottawa.

Clinical Supervision in Ontario

“Hi (insert your name here), it’s good to see you. How has your week been going?”

“Oh very good, I’ve had lots of client interactions this week so time has just flown by.”

“Oh that’s wonderful, it sounds like they’ve been pretty positive interactions?”

“Yes, for sure. Well, for the most part. There was one session that didn’t go exactly according to plan.”

“Please, tell me about it. I’m all ears.”

“Well it’s about this client, Todd, that I’ve been working with for the past two months. When he first started seeing me he was so eager to change and would welcome any possible suggestion I might have. But now, I have to drag the words out of him. It’s like he’s lost in some sort of fog and I can’t get him out.”

“Tell me more about Todd.”

“Well, he’s in his mid-twenties, no kids, not married but he does have a girlfriend. He came to me initially because he was drinking too much and it was landing him in trouble at work. He works as a stone-mason so it’s a very physically demanding job. So at first we just focused on the benefits of being a stonemason without a hangover! It actually helped to push him over the edge of ambivalence but I fear it wasn’t enough to warrant any sustained change. He’s saying now that yes, he does feel better and loves not being hungover at work, but now he feels like life is pointless without alcohol.  What am I supposed to say?”

“Do you feel that it’s your job, your purpose, to tell Todd what the point of life is?”

“Well, no but he did come to me for advice, right. Like, he hired me as his therapist so I should know what to tell him to do, shouldn’t i?”

I Should Tell Him What To Do, Right?

“Tell him what to do! (laughs). The last thing in the world you or he should want is for you to tell him what to do. As therapists, it’s common for us to think that we owe our clients an answer to the questions they have. And to a point, yes, we do. But more importantly, we are there to guide the client to find their own purpose, not dictate a purpose for them. Have you thought of exploring Todd’s childhood and teen years? Maybe there is a hidden passion that he has neglected as an adult that he could re-engage with that might spark some life?”

“That makes sense, I could certainly explore that angle. Why do you think it is that I feel I must solve my clients problems for them?”

“Well, a complex question calls from a complex response. Why do you think this keeps happening? Do you think other therapist are experiencing the same things, or no?”

“Well, of course, they must be. I can’t be the only therapist who thinks like this.”

“You may be onto something here.”

“What do you mean?”

Importance of Clinical Supervision in Ottawa, Toronto or Windsor

“It’s common for early career therapists to take the weight of the world on their shoulders. When we start, we take personal offense when we cannot find a suitable solution for our clients. We feel that we went to school for so long, tried so hard that we should be able to solve every issue that arises. But that thinking takes us away from what is really important about being a therapist; teaching the client to become their own best advocate. Once you notice you are ‘solving’ a client’s problems, that’s when you should take a step back, Which you did! You brought this case to clinical supervision which is exactly the place to talk about it!”

“That helps, that really takes some pressure off.”

“Of course, no one can handle taking every other person’s problems as their own. If that is what therapists were meant to do, we would have incredibly short careers. A good rule of thumb is that if you are spending more than a minute or two thinking about a client in your off-time, it’s probably wise to bring it to your next Toronto clinical supervision meeting. After all, that’s what clinical supervision is meant for. It’s there so your career doesn’t have to end before it’s rightful time. The more of our clients issues we take on for ourselves, the shorter our careers. And the shorter the career, the less people we can help. So when you really think of it, keeping professional boundaries actually allows you to do more for your clients, not less. On that note, can you tell me a bit about your self-care routines, your mental health hygiene?”

“Self-care? Like, bubble baths or what?”

“It could be bubble baths. It could be meditation. It could be gardening. It could even be playing sports. Self-care is extremely important for therapists as we are often quite quick to get lost in the client work and forget about taking care of ourselves. I just want to make sure you are thinking of yourself and doing things that you enjoy.”

“Oh, well I like to work out. I haven’t been to the gym since I started this job though.”

“Why not?”

“Well, there’ s just no time.  I have at least five clients a day plus all my research time and then my note writing and then clinical supervision. There’s no time for self care anywhere!”

“Self-care doesn’t have to be an entire afternoon off lounging on the beach. It can be a three-minute meditation before bed. It can be watching your favourite TV show with your phone in another room. It can be calling an old friend instead of texting them. It can be anything you want it to be. We all spend so much time working that we forget just how important it is to take it easy from time to time. We all need those little rewards, you know the ones that make life worth living. If you are all work and no play, not only you will suffer, but your clients will as well. Don’t you think our clients can tell when we are burning the candle at both ends? What kind of message do you think that sends our clients when we are failing to take our own advice? It may sound silly, but a good rule of thumb is any piece of advice you give to a client should be welcome advice in your own life.”

“That makes sense. I have actually noticed that I’ve given advice to a client that I didn’t even take myself. I guess if I’m supposed to be telling clients to take good care of themselves I should follow my own lead and do it for me as well. It’s just so hard. I got into this field to help others, not to help myself.”

“True, but any seasoned therapists will tell you that it’s impossible to help others without first helping ourselves. That’s why you hear of so many therapists who have their own therapists. Even those who don’t have to do clinical supervision in Toronto anymore. Many therapists feel that if they are not exploring their own demons that they are under-serving their clients. And I’d have to say, I tend to agree. If you aren’t willing to do the emotional work in your own life, how can you inspire someone else to do it in theirs?”

“It’s so true. It’s easy to recommend for others what to do but much more difficult to take our own advice.”

“Well it looks like our time for this week is almost up. Is there anything you felt we needed to talk about this week that we didn’t have time for?”

“No, I think that sums it up pretty well. Another week, another lesson learned.”

“Excellent, see you next week.”