Supportive SuperVision Podcast

Being a highly sensitive person is rough- especially in caregiving positions (like our roles as therapists and supervisors). Handling life- and COVID-19- on top of all the demands, during a global trauma, is a lot to process. I talk about some real-life stuff, honoring our sensitivity, and begin the conversation about being a highly sensitive therapist and supervisor. I plan to continue the conversation in future episodes, but here is where we will start!

This week's episode is a very basic, "nutshell" description of EMDR therapy, how it works in session, what it is used for, how it can help, what training looks like, where to become trained, who can benefit from EMDR therapy, and contra-indications. This episode is great if you've always been curious about EMDR therapy, if you've never heard about it but want to learn more, or if you want to become trained in EMDR but aren't sure where to begin!

This is the first installment of things I wish I had known early in my education and career! This is likely to be the first of several, but it's great for those who supervise, therapists who see other therapists as clients, students, new therapists, or those who are looking for some validation about their own experiences within the field!

In this episode, I discuss why clinical burnout is problematic, why supervisors need to model good self-care, and what to do if you think you might be burning out. I also share some of my favorite resources for handling burnout, the benefit of doing so, and the cost of not doing so.

I'm excited to announce my EMDR consultation group, every second Saturday of the month! Find more details in this episode!

In this episode, I spoke with my longtime friend and colleague, Elizabeth Adams, LCSW. We worked for a few years at the same community mental health crisis assessment job, and then she moved on to work as a contractor in a school system. She has moved up the ranks to a blended position of clinical supervision and clinical work with teenagers- which she never expected to do- and ended up loving. We go deep into working with teens, adjusting to COVID-19, and the nuances of working IN a school without working FOR the school. This is such an interesting way to work within our field and is DEFINITELY worth a listen!

In this solo episode, I highlight some of the more action-oriented things we should be doing to take care of ourselves, including challenging our emotional narratives in therapy, sussing out counter-transference, fear, and confusion in ongoing supervision and consultation, and setting boundaries with our loved ones when we need an emotional break and just want to zone out or read for a little while.

I also share some of my favorite resources for challenging more subconscious limiting beliefs, including internalized patriarchy, able-ism, racism, and sexism!

It can be hard to stay connected to the reason why we got into this field and why helping is important to us. Nobody wants to talk about the fact that often, counselor education and early field work/career positions undermine counselor confidence and empowerment. Here are some mindset shifts and tips tp stay connected to your purpose as a healer, regardless of where you are in your career!

We are living in a time where more people than ever are speaking out about systemic racism and internalized white supremacy, and it is imperative that clinical supervisors unpack their own internalized white supremacy to amplify and hold space for the experiences of clients and supervisees. Our world is exhibiting a lot of hurt that has been festering for hundreds of years, and clinical supervisors need to do our part to learn, listen, and grow.

Included are calls to action, and in the show notes you will find some of my favorite resources for doing this work. Please never stop working toward allyship, while understanding that "ally" is not some end-goal to attain. It is constant work that must be done to elevate our field. Our field is grounded in white supremacy and we need to start rebuilding it to reflect the diverse clients and supervisees we serve.

Often, emergency mental health workers are overlooked in the discussion about supporting our emergency medical staff- even though we are often silently directly supporting those same medical staff to keep them going. We can even feel unsupported by our own administration and supervisors as we are doing face-to-face, necessary work with clients, or we can feel as though we are trusted with mental health crises but we are not trusted to work safely and with integrity on safer terms- such as working from home. This episode is meant to shed light, give recognition, and offer encouragement to seek support, therapy, supervision, and revisit the meaning of boundaries and self-care during COVID-19.