Reflective supervision on the run Making supervision work for your program Reprinted with permission. The article appeared in the Spring 2003 issue of Children Families, the magazine of the National Head Start Association (USA). ZERO TO THREE is a national, non-profit organization located in Washington DC. Karen had just finished one of the most upsetting home visits of her career. She walked in the door of the centre needed to talk. Who was around? She saw her colleague Stacia packing up her bag. Hey, Stacia, do you have a minute? That s about all I have! I m late for my next visit. How s it going? Karen took a deep breath: Not so good. You would not believe the visit I just went on. This little boy is so delayed, I keep suggesting things to try, but his mom well, she just doesn t seem to notice. We ve been working together for six months, I don t feel like I m making much of a difference. Stacia grabbed her bag of toys. That s the worst. Hang in there, kiddo. I hate to leave you like this but Let s talk when I get back! Karen sat down at her desk. I m just not sure what to do next, she thought. Have you ever felt like Karen like you needed to talk, to have someone guide you help you explore what seems like an impossible situation? Have you ever felt like Stacia like you wanted to be there for a friend or colleague but were too caught up in the whirlwind of your own responsibilities to do so? If you or your staff members can identify with either or both of these situations, it s likely that your program could benefit from reflective supervision, a tool that can reduce burnout stress, help staff members maintain objectivity when working with families, increase morale. But what is this thing called reflective supervision? Reflective Supervision In A Nutshell In this article, the term reflective supervision is used to describe supervision that is characterized by three key components reflection, collaboration, regularity is focused on learning from working with families. It is an approach that is supportive collaborative in nature is characterized by active listening thoughtful questioning by both supervisors staff members. While reflective supervision can occur in a variety of forms, including one-on-one conversations with supervisors, group meetings, or peers supporting one another, it isn t something you do only once are done. Rather, it s a way of being with your colleagues an approach to interacting with others that recognizes each person as an individual with unique thoughts, beliefs, experiences. In order for reflection, collaboration, regularity to take hold flourish, there must first be a solid foundation of trust acceptance. And the way that organizations can ensure that there is such a foundation is by valuing relationships both within outside the organization. Quality relationships among supervisors, staff members, parents, children need to be valued as a crucial part of delivering effective services. Page 1
Implementing Reflective Supervision If you are thinking about incorporating reflective supervision or any other supervisory approach into your program, keep in mind that there are bound to be some challenges whenever a program makes changes. Each staff member supervisor joins the organization with a particular history of supervision. The nature of these past experiences whether they were generally positive or negative influences how open people will be to reflective supervision. The idea of a supportive, collaborative, two-way relationship with a supervisor may be new to some staff. For some staff members, meeting with a supervisor instinctively makes then feel as though something must be wrong. For others, past experiences of supervision may have been limited to once-a-year performance reviews with little ongoing collaborative work or joint discussion with supervisors. With this in mind, it s easy to see why the shift to reflective supervision can be uncomfortable at times. By taking into consideration staff members past experiences with supervision by being aware of some of the common pitfalls, you can be better prepared to successfully implement reflective supervision in your program. In fact, the three most common challenges people encounter when introducing reflective supervision are best overcome by focusing on the three key components of this type of supervision mentioned earlier: reflection, collaboration, regularity. Two heads are better then one: In other words, we re in this together. A common obstacle in implementing reflective supervision is a supervisor s apprehension toward the amount or quality of guidance she ll actually be able to provide staff members. As one supervisor put it, I m no wise man on the mountain, so how am I supposed to do reflective supervision? I certainly don t have all the answers! One of the reasons that reflective supervision is effective, however, is that it relies on reflection instead of stock answers or solutions. Reflective supervision does not assume that supervisors are all-knowing fountains of wisdom. In fact the questions supervisors ask are more important than the answers they give in reflective supervision. Reflection is essentially the act of stepping back from the immediate intense experience of a particular incident taking the time to wonder what the experience really means. What does the incident tells us about the family? Ourselves? The relationship between the parent the child? Between the parent the staff member? This reflection enables us to examine our thoughts, feelings, is about experience identify the interventions that best meet a family s goals for self-sufficiency, growth, development. When supervisors resist the temptation to automatically give an answer or provide a solution, instead, take the time to explore the various options available with staff members, they open the doors to insight learning. A supervisor s role in reflective supervision is to provide guidance help staff members observe a family learn from these observations, not to dole out answers. Supervisors should support staff members as they prepare for challenging discussions with parents, encouraging them to wonder about the family s feelings, background, experiences. By working together, a supervisor, staff member, parent Page 2
can address challenging situations identify appropriate steps that reflect the individual nature of a particular family. No One Has To Tackle Difficult Issues Alone In order for reflective supervision to work, supervisors, agency leadership, direct service administrative staff must be committed to establishing strong, effective working relationships with one another. This involves maintaining consistent, dependable protected time between supervisors staff members even when reflective supervision isn t new anymore. This can be difficult, as anyone working in a program knows. As new priorities initiatives are introduced, supervisors staff members are challenged to maintain their commitment to reflective practice. To reap the benefits of this approach which include improved staff retention morale higher quality services to children families it is critical that reflective supervision remain a priority in the organization. The reality is, however, that this can t won t happen if supervisors are alone at the top. Supervisors cannot provide excellent supervision unless they receive it themselves. The program s organizational structure should give professionals who supervise staff members opportunities to receive guidance, feedback, mentoring. By making reflective supervision a priority with their own staff members, supervisors create an atmosphere in their programs that facilitates promotes collaboration one of the key components outcomes of reflective supervision. What is collaboration why is it important? Collaboration emphasizes the importance of shared responsibility teamwork. While partnering with staff Finding the eye of the storm members doesn t restrict a leader or supervisor from setting limits or exercising authority, collaboration is based on the understing that everyone involved in delivering services to families has an important perspective to share contribution to make. In order for collaboration to truly exist, both supervisors staff members must work to establish respectful, mutual relationships. Ideally, trust evolves from such relationships. Supervisory discussions then become a safe place in which a range of work- During hectic moments or situations, it s easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of emotions that are evoked. In order to reflect on a particular situation, however, staff members need to be able to find the eye of the storm. It is only when staff members supervisors slow down give themselves time to be still that they can truly think, wonder, hypothesize, listen, question, experiment. This ability to find the eye of the storm even on the busiest of days or in the midst of frenetic situations is also a useful skill for families. Being able to pull away from the intensity of the moment even if it s just for a few seconds to consider the issue at h objectively before reacting can have a powerful effect on interactions between parents their children. Staff members families learn this skill first by experiencing it then by practicing it. related issues can be discussed without fear or judgment. This ability to turn to a supervisor share concerns challenges about a child or family has important implications for staff Page 3
members. When problems arise, staff members will be more apt to work with their supervisors colleagues toward finding the best solution instead of muddling through alone or worrying that supervisors will think that they lack skill or good judgment. Collaboration among staff members also supports the creation of effective, collaborative relationships with families which, in turn, supports positive programmatic outcomes. By assuming the best of their staff members, supervisors, in turn, influence them to assume the best of the family members they work with. Making Supervision A Program Priority When work begins to pile up, meetings among staff members are commonly the first things to get postponed or cancelled. In order for reflective supervision to become an effective tool, however, it is vital that both supervisors staff members meet more regularly. One site supervisor, noticing her own habit of cancelling supervisory meetings when things got hectic, asked herself how she would respond if her staff members explained that they were too busy to go on home visits this week. She would of course be surprised, upset, frustrated probably the same emotions her staff members experienced when she regularly cancelled meetings with little notice. In reflective supervision, the time spent in supervisory meetings becomes a valued opportunity for staff members to let off steam, talk about work, brainstorm, grow in their roles. This will only happen, however, if this time is consistent long enough for staff members to address the questions, joys, challenges they experience in their work. Ensuring that staff-supervisor meetings are treated as a priority is an integral part of the supervisor s job. Reflective supervision Requires that you look both internally externally, exploring your own feelings motivations as well as those of the staff members, colleagues, families you work with. It requires that you not only glance but truly look, not only hear but truly listen, not only act but also learn. What s Going On Here? Taking Time To Reflect Reflective supervision is an effective tool that supervisors can use in their programs to promote collaboration, support staff members in their work, increase positive outcomes for families. But regardless of what supervisory approach a program uses, both staff members supervisors can benefit from being more reflective in their everyday interactions with others. This means giving more thought to our interactions with others. Rather than responding to problems with prescriptive solutions or jumping to conclusions making quick judgments, being reflective involves taking the time to observe, listen, learn more about a situation the people involved before deciding on a course of action. This approach is illustrated in the Look, Listen, Learn model. Look. Observe the staff member, parent, or child with whom you re speaking. What do you see? What unspoken messages are they conveying through their eye contact, body language, or closeness or distance from you? What do you know about this person s background, culture, experiences, temperament? How might these factors play a role in the Page 4
situation at h? Listen. What is this person s perspective? Listen openly without judgment. What does the person s tone of voice indicate? What emotions seem to be involved? Learn. Develop a best educated guess as to what might be going on. Wonder about this person s needs feelings. Ask questions. Knowing what you know about this person s temperament, experiences, thoughts, feelings, identify a response that best meets the person s needs. As you receive more information, modify your best guess the response that goes with it. When staff members supervisors look, listen, learn, they are employing an objective, structured way to think about challenging issues, which tends to make these situations seem more manageable. Reflective Supervision In Action While gathering information for our book Reflective Supervision in Practice: Stories from the Field, I encountered an early intervention agency (serving children with disabilities aged birth to 3) that introduces staff meetings as a creative way to build reflective time into daily routines. In addition to monthly individual supervision, staff members also began gathering for a monthly three-hour meeting called mentoring time (a term used in this organization for reflective supervision). During mentoring time, the staff first participates in a brief icebreaker or team-building activity to help set the stage for the collaboration that is intended to follow. Most of the meeting is then spent in a case discussion led by one staff member about a family on her caseload. The goal of the case discussion is to help staff members gain new perspectives on particular situations or relationships, to learn from each other s experiences, to come up with new strategies objectives in working with families. Participants discuss all facets of the case, such as what is currently going on with the family, how the staff member feels about working with the family, what the staff member is having difficulty with, what progress has been made thus far, the additional information the staff member would like to obtain abut the family, so on. Colleagues then ask questions, brainstorm, offer ideas, share their own stories experiences. The director of this early intervention program said that the case discussions have been useful because they ve required staff members to reflect back on the strengths of all the people involved to look at the whole picture before trying to fix the different aspects involved. [The case discussion format] also helps manage the impulse to jump to conclusions or find quick solutions. When asked about the effect these meetings have had on program services, staff members explained that the mentoring time has helped create a collaborative, collegial environment in their agency had contributed to the delivery of quality, relationship-based services to children families. Staff members described feeling more supported, as a result, better able to support families. In addition, the case study strategy used in these meetings has given the direct service professionals involved an opportunity to tap into a broad network of collegial expertise, which has helped them identify the most appropriate effective responses to their work-related challenges. Such interactions have enhanced the staff member s abilities to individualize their interventions, which has enriched the quality of services supported the Page 5
development of effective relationships between families providers. There are many other ways to make reflective supervision a part of daily life for both supervisors staff members. Here are just a few ways of incorporating reflective supervision: Meet for supervisory discussions over lunch or breakfast. Organize case study lunches once a week to discuss work. Schedule a combination of individual group supervisory sessions. Meet in pairs or groups during slow times. Meet on a monthly basis schedule interim check-in meetings as needed. Identify staff members who are capable of providing reflective supervision. The program can then explore the possibility of implementing peer supervision or paired collegial mentoring meetings. While opportunities to reflect can take many forms, the ultimate objective is that staff members feel supported know that they can count on, learn from, contribute to the collective expertise of the group in order to more effectively serve children their families. Think back to the vignette in the beginning. Imaging how Karen might have felt if she knew there was a structured support system in place to help her better underst the family she was struggling with, to support her own problem-solving ability, to help her process the strong emotions that she was experiencing. saw her colleague Stacia packing up her bag. Hey, Stacia, do you have a minute? That s about all I have! I m late for my next visit. How s it going? Karen took a deep breath: Not so good. You would not believe the visit I just went on. This little boy is so delayed, I keep suggesting things to try, but his mom well, she just doesn t seem to notice. We ve been working together for six months, I don t feel like I m making much of a difference. Stacia stopped for a moment met Karen s eyes. Karen looked really upset. Stacia said, It sounds like you re angry with this mom. But I m wondering how else you re feeling. Sometimes a visit like that can make you really question yourself. Karen managed a shaky smile. You must be a mind reader. That s exactly what I was thinking. I don t mean to be so judgmental, but I really want to help this family. Stacia picked up her bag of toys. This is important, I want to talk more about it. Unfortunately, I ve really got to run. But I ll come right back after this visit. Let s sit down then see if we can make sense of this together. Karen sat down at her desk. It s going to be OK, she thought. Karen had just finished one of the most upsetting home visits of her career. She walked in the door of the centre needed to talk. Who was around? She Page 6