Supervision, Consulting & Training
I provide clinical supervision and consultation for practitioners, as well as training and consultation for supervisors. I see clinical supervision and consultation as the most important avenue through which people learn how to do their jobs. The function of supervision is a multifaceted one, involving a complex process of accountability, which leads to assurance of competent work with clients. I believe that the relationship between a supervisor and supervisee has a profound influence on the quality of the practitioner's work with clients. Problems in the supervisory relationship often lead to difficulties with the larger processes of supervision. On the other hand, a positive supervisory relationship creates an environment in which the processes of supervision can operate such that clients are ultimately better served.
I have practiced psychotherapy for more than 35 years and published a book on the process of therapy, entitled A User’s Guide to Therapy: What to Expect and How You Can Benefit. I also have more than 25 years of experience providing supervision and consultation for clinical social workers, marriage and family therapists and other mental health practitioners. In addition, I offer training and consultation for supervisors. As a member of the faculty of the St. Catherine University/University of St. Thomas School of Social Work MSW Program, I have taught classes in clinical services supervision and program management.
In 1994, I co‐founded the school’s Supervision Institute and continue to serve as co‐director. The mission of the Institute is to promote greater knowledge of the skills, theory, approaches and issues involved in clinical supervision. Its philosophy is that the development of competent practitioners depends on competent supervision. Since the inception of the Institute, I have conducted training sessions in supervision for practitioners in the community on a yearly basis.
In addition to my work through the Institute, I have offered more than 25 workshops and presentations both nationally and locally on the topic of supervision in general, including several on cross‐cultural supervision. This training history includes a 30‐hour course for social workers and supervisors at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. I have published several journal articles on the topic of supervision and am the author of Supervisory Relationships: Exploring the Human Element (1997) and co‐creator of the training video and manual, Challenges in Cross Cultural Supervision (2000). Currently I serve on the editorial board of the journal The Clinical Supervisor.