THE NEW ZEALAND ASSOCIATION OF PSYCHOTHERAPISTS
Te Roopu Whakaora Hinengaro

Welcome . Haere mai

Supervision allows psychotherapists to review and preview their administrative and clinical functioning. It helps them to understand their interactions with clients, including those influenced by their own history and personality dynamics. It assists them to respond effectively on the basis of this understanding.

Supervision attends to the professional development of the therapist; the needs of the client; the profession of psychotherapy, and the community.

The needs of the therapist in supervision, may vary over time depending on their psychotherapeutic experience, the personal issues that the therapist and the client are confronting and the setting in which the professional relationships is undertaken.

Definition

"Psychotherapy supervision is a process in which supervisor and supervisee commit themselves in a formal, regular and sustained way to enable and oversee the supervisee's development and effectiveness as a psychotherapist."

Objectives

To facilitate and guide the development of the supervisee to:

1. Be emotionally competent, congruent and self-aware.

2. Have ethical integrity and vocational passion.

3. Establish and manage the therapeutic context, including the ability to recognise the limits to their competence and when it is necessary, to consult with and/or to refer the client to another professional.

4. Be present and responsive to self, other and the relationships between self and other.

5. Be intellectually competent using multiple frames of reference to make sense of and accurately guide their practice.

6. Engage skillfully, using psychotherapeutic techniques safely and intentionally.

7. Be sensitive to issues of gender, ethnicity and culture.

Conditions

1. Supervision is focused on the supervisee and their work with clients.

2. Supervision forms an important part of training experience of the psychotherapist. In itself, however, it is not sufficient to be the sole means of acquiring the competencies which include knowledge, skills, attitudes and values.

Therefore, it is the primary responsibility of the supervisee to obtain the requisite knowledge base and skills.

The supervisor may be required to account for not drawing attention to factors likely to cause harm to the client.

Nevertheless:

(a) Clinical responsibility for clients, in terms of therapeutic decision making is that of the supervisee.

(b) While the supervisor may be more directive with a beginning therapist, supervision creatively blends administrative, educative, therapeutic and consultative processes. Which of these has priority depends on the needs of the client as well as the stage and particular needs of the supervisee.

Standards
The Supervisor:

• Is committed to facilitating and guiding the supervisee's development as a psychotherapist.
• Communicates their knowledge of psychotherapy and related techniques, and clinical experience to the supervisee.
• Utilises their awareness of transference and countertransference in the supervisory relationship to promote open communication and collegiality.
• Models essential therapeutic attitudes and values (consistent within a consensus of clinical experience and research findings)
• Ensures that their supervisees enter into psychotherapy for themselves at appropriate points in their training and during their membership of NZAP.
• Has an effective knowledge of parallel process and systemic principles to understand and creatively address interactions between the client and their personal and physical environment, the client-therapist relationship and the supervisory relationship.
• Has a secure enough personal and professional identity and as a result, permits, and facilitates development of the supervisee's unique style and identity as a psychotherapist.
• Guides the supervisee, in the development of their ability to integrate multiple theoretical perspectives, so that they can determine alternative treatment plans based on observations and clinical hypotheses suitable to different clients.
• Is able to assess the supervisee's stage of professional development, institute a supervisory plan and relevant interventions.
• Has a commitment to updating their knowledge, supervisory and therapeutic skill.

Supervision requirements for Provisional Members

* All Provisional Members are required to maintain a current, endorsed supervision contract.
(Refer to - Supervision and Experience criteria for Provisional Members)

Supervision requirements for Members

All practicing members of the Association will maintain regular supervision.

MEMBER SUPERVISION, CONTINUING EDUCATION, PRACTICING CERTIFICATES.

The purpose of the Association is to cultivate and maintain high ethical principles and standards of professional practice. Supervision is an integral element of the practice of psychotherapy. It affords an opportunity to enhance self-awareness regarding the dynamics involved in the therapeutic interaction; for monitoring the effectiveness of the therapy; and the maintenance of ethical standards. All practicing members of the Association will maintain regular supervision.

• Supervisors would ordinarily have been a member of NZAP for a minimum of three years with supervisory experience, or a comparable standard from an allied professional body.
• The member will inform the Regional Supervisors’ Group of their contract for supervision.
• The type and frequency of supervision to be determined by supervisor and member.
• Any concerns about the competence of the member, impasses or problems should be raised initially with the member - if this is considered appropriate. If matters cannot be resolved, the supervisor should refer to the Regional Supervisors’ Coordinator.
• Supervisory contracts should be reviewed at least three yearly in order to establish whether a change of supervisor is indicated.

If direct supervision is impossible because of geographical location, a contract for taped supervision is acceptable.

II. Continuing Education

The emphasis on continuing education and professional development reflects the Association's commitment to the maintenance of high professional standards.

• An annual review of continuing education will be undertaken by supervisor and member.
• This will include a review of the focus of supervision, and will also cover attendance at training programmes, the study of professional literature, attendance and presentations at conferences and seminars, other examples of professional development.

III. Annual Practicing Certificate

This is a recognition of the member's demonstrated ability to practice as a professional psychotherapist. Members are encouraged to display their Annual Practicing Certificate in their place of work as an indication of their current status with the Association. Members who hold a current Practicing Certificate will be identified in the NZAP Register.

• The requirements to hold a practicing certificate applies to part-time as well as full-time practice.
• A practicing certificate is not required if a member is overseas or not working, but wishes to retain membership.

The Process

An annual review form of supervision, continuing education and professional development will be included with the annual subscription invoice. This should be completed by supervisor and supervisee and sent to the Regional Supervisors Group for endorsement. The Executive Officer will issue an Annual Practicing Certificate when advised of the endorsement, and upon receipt of the annual membership subscription

Review of Supervision

In accordance with the established requirement that all Members and Applicants for membership have regular supervision, the Association has developed a common approach for reviewing and the renewal of all supervision contracts on an annual basis. This process is timed to occur close to the beginning of each year, following the annual conference and preceding the close off date for reprinting the Register. The annual Register lists all Members and also contains an insert showing current Applicants for membership.

You are invited to submit your annual supervision report for the past year and to review and complete your continuing supervision contract. For your convenience, both forms will be  included with your annual subscription request.

This simplified procedure aims to make the review and renewal process as straightforward and as helpful as possible.

1. Meet with your supervisor to consider your experience of supervision during the year under review. Include in the discussion an evaluation of the principal goals and focus of supervision, and consider such matters as your training, personal growth and professional development undertaken during the same period. Finally, consider all of these things in terms of your progress towards full membership of the Association.

2. Extend this same process in order to formulate an agreed plan for your supervision during the current year - include in the discussion a consideration of your training and your personal and professional development needs for the year. You should also clarify any changes to the original contract and any matters regarding readiness and/or preparation for therapeutic studies or assessment interview. Complete and sign both forms.

3. Personally deliver or mail the completed forms - together with a copy of your current contract - to the convenor of your Regional Supervisors' Group. The Supervisors' Group will review your report and contract at the first opportunity. Following this review, the convenor will countersign both forms to signify approval on behalf of the Supervisors' Group, return all of the documents to you and advise the Executive Officer.

4. If you complete these steps by 5th May, and have sent your subscription to the Executive Officer, you will be included in the list of NZAP Applicants for membership as at July.

In the unusual circumstances that the Regional Supervisors' Group is unable to support your proposed supervision arrangements, they will approach you directly and attempt to resolve the matter. If this is unsuccessful, the matter can be referred for consideration and assistance to the National Supervision Committee through the Executive Officer - P.O. Box 17-361 Karori, Wellington.

The National Supervision Committee.