Social Justice Issues in Supervision

This workshop focuses on trauma-informed supervision through a social justice lens, an approach to supervision that begins with the personal and extends to the professional. Personal histories, identities, characteristics and psychological experiences of supervisors, as well as structural and environmental conditions of the organization, are considered in supervision. This perspective promotes the role of the supervisor as a leader in establishing a culture within their team that is responsive to and inclusive of the positionalities and unique experiences of clients and colleagues. Supervisors are encouraged to remain vigilant in their commitment to social justice by leading their teams and organizations in achieving truly inclusive diversity.

Bullet points summarizing main points of workshop.

• Self-awareness is an essential part of supervision, including exploring one’s own implicit bias.
• Both the supervisor and the supervisee are influenced by their sense of safety or danger in the relationship.
• We have to understand the way our implicit biases have and will impact the supervisory relationship
• We must acknowledge the power differentials with our supervisees.
• How can we validate our supervisee’s experiences of racism?
• How do we bring discussion of painful current events into team meetings?
• Ways to confront racism in the team
• Effective ways to respond when supervisee reports instances of racism in the agency.
• Helping supervisees bring an awareness of racism into their work with clients.
• The importance of validation and advocacy.
• Understanding and acknowledging multi-generations trauma and effects of racism.