What is clinical supervision?
Supervision is a structured professional relationship where you process cases, strengthen your clinical reasoning, improve your behaviour support skills, and protect your wellbeing and your clients’ dignity. It’s not a performance review. It’s not therapy. And it’s definitely not supposed to be a one-way lecture from someone who last worked clinically during the era of dial-up internet.
Think of supervision as a cross between a safety net, a sounding board, and a professional tune-up.
At its best, it covers:
Ethical decision-making
Case formulation and planning
Working in a neurodiverse affirming way (if it is with me!)
Boundary-setting
Ways of reducing clinician burnout and building a sustainable practice
Strengthening your systemic and behavioural lens
Good supervision makes you more confident and clearer in your practice.
What makes a supervisor good vs not just “available”)
When you’re new in practice, it’s tempting to pick whoever has a slot open and charges less than a week’s rent. Resist that urge. A good supervisor deeply influences the practitioner you become, through helping you develop your habits, identify your blind spots, and build your confidence and competence.
You need to look for,
Alignment in values.
So if you’re committed to neurodiverse-affirming practice, trauma-informed care, and reducing restrictive practices, you want a supervisor who doesn’t treat those as “optional extras”. It is also good to look at your potential supervisors clinical background because this may help to make sure that you have similar therapeutic lens.
Current clinical and supervision experience and training.
Your supervisor doesn’t need to work in the exact niche you do, but they should be actively engaged in contemporary behaviour support, not only speaking from 2012 anecdotes. The industry can change quickly!! You should also ask potential supervisors if they have undertaken training in clinical supervision. There are different models of supervision and it is important that your supervisor has undertaken some study and developed their skills in the area.
A style that fits your learning brain.
Some practitioners thrive with gentle questioning; others prefer clear structure and direct feedback. If your supervisor talks like a textbook or gives feedback that feels like a riddle, it might not be the right fit for you.
A space that feels safe.
You need to feel comfortable saying, “I’m lost,” “This case is ethically messy,” or “I’m worried I stuffed this up.” If you feel judged, rushed, or invisible, supervision won’t work.
Boundaries and professionalism.
Your supervisor should keep your sessions organised, confidential, and purposeful, not spend half the hour venting about their own workplace drama.
Willingness to challenge you — kindly.
Support without challenge is comforting but stagnant. Challenge without support is bruising. The sweet spot is someone who pushes your thinking without pushing you off a cliff.
A good test? Ask yourself after a session:
Do I feel clearer, steadier, and more skilled — or smaller and more confused?
The main styles of supervision
There’s no single correct style. Instead, think of them as different lenses. You’ll likely experience a blend across your career.
1. Reflective Supervision
This is the “slow down and think deeply” style. You explore emotional responses, patterns, relationships, and the meaning behind what happened.
Great for: avoiding burnout, managing tricky dynamics, growing your clinical judgement.
Less great for: when you desperately need a plan by Friday and your supervisor asks you, “What does that bring up for you?”
2. Clinical/Case-Focused Supervision
Here the supervisor helps you tighten your functional assessments, refine plans, troubleshoot behaviour interventions, and ensure ethical and evidence-based practice.
Great for: new practitioners, complex cases, improving formulation.
Less great for: processing your stress levels after a week of crisis calls.
3. Educational Supervision
This one focuses on developing skills and knowledge. It’s like having a personal trainer for your clinical brain — structured, targeted, and often very satisfying.
Great for: early-career clinicians or anyone levelling up (e.g., shifting into PBS, learning about trauma-informed behaviour support).
Less great for: when you need to unpack messy interpersonal dynamics.
4. Managerial/Operational Supervision
Mostly found within organisations. You cover caseload, documentation standards, KPIs. It’s necessary, but it’s not enough on its own and it is usually not focused on clinical fundamental but rather completion of tasks.
Great for: logistics.
Less great for: your soul.
5. Developmental Supervision
This style tailors supervision to your stage of growth. Early in your career you get more structure; as you get confident, your supervisor steps back and encourages self-direction.
Great for: long-term professional growth and transferable skills.
Most high-quality supervisors intentionally blend styles. If they only ever teach, or only ever listen, or only ever critique, you’re not getting full-spectrum supervision.
A realistic perspective for early-stage practitioners
Everyone worries they’re “not experienced enough” or that they’ll be judged for asking “basic” questions. You’re not alone. The purpose of supervision is to catch you at the messy bits, not to admire you once you’ve already polished yourself.
Clinical confidence grows subtly, through steady contact with the right environment. A good supervisor helps you build the kind of clinical identity that won’t crumble when your workload spikes or a tricky case lands on your desk.
Peer-reviewed references
Falender, C. A., & Shafranske, E. P. (2021). Clinical supervision: A competency-based approach. American Psychological Association.
Bernard, J. M., & Goodyear, R. K. (2018). Fundamentals of clinical supervision (6th ed.). Pearson.
Hawkins, P., & Shohet, R. (2012). Supervision in the helping professions (4th ed.). Open University Press.
Milne, D. (2009). Evidence-based clinical supervision: Principles and practice. Wiley-Blackwell.
