Multicultural and Feminist Supervision in the 21st Century Cindy M. Bruns, PhD and Carmen Cruz, PsyD

Who we are and our context as presenters and supervisors

Learning Objectives 1) Participants will be able to identify and articulate knowledge of at least one multicultural and one feminist model of supervision. 2)Participants will be able to identify several contextual or identity issues that may affect the supervisory relationship. 3)Participants will be able to apply at least one new supervisory skill in their individual supervision of interns.

CLOSE YOUR EYES (if comfortable)  Mindfulness exercise to dig deep into supervisor identity especially how it was informed for your own experiences as a supervisee.

Brainstorming Elements of “good” supervision  Honesty  Trust  Openness  Quality relationship  Dialogue  Clear expectations  Developmentally appropriate  Engagement in difficult conversations  Teaching/Learning  Respect for/valuing difference  Constructive and supportive feedback  Mentoring  Feeling heard  Others…

Brainstorming – Contextual/Identity issues that can shape supervision  Gender Identity  Age  Race  Ethnicity  SES  Political affiliation  Health status  Ability status  Nation/Region or origin  Education  Religion/Spirituality  Sexual orientation  Body size/Appearance  Family of origin  Generation of birth  Values  Biases  Beliefs  Prior learning/experiences  Privilege  Oppression  Discrimination  Marginalization  Others…

Traditional 21 st Century Supervision  Teaching  Consultation  Competency Based Supervision  Evidenced Based Supervision  Multicultural issues can be a part of these but are not presented in integrated ways  Feminist principles are largely ignored or made invisible

Consistent Research Findings about Supervision  1. Power is rarely explored. Supervisors do not highlight or discuss the power differential.  2. The relationship is paramount.  3. Most supervisees are anxious. Only about approximately 10% have debilitating anxiety that affects their performance.  4. Many supervisors are uncomfortable providing difficult feedback.  #1 is SUPER important and relevant to this presentation.

Overlap of Feminist and Multicultural Supervision Models

What is Feminist Supervision? Definition of Feminist Supervision: A collaborative relationship that is characterized by mutual respect, genuine dialogue, attention to social contextual factors, and responsible action. It includes analysis of power, maintenance of appropriate boundaries, examination of the social construction of gender, attention to diversity, social activism, and self reflexivity (Porter & Vasquez, 1997).

Feminist Models of Supervision  Examples of models include:  Judith Jordan (RCT model)  Dawn Szymanski (Feminist Supervision Scale)  General principles:  Analysis of gender  Analysis of power  Minimizing power differentials in supervision & therapy dyad  Self-examination  Diversity/Social Context issues  Social justice/advocacy issues  Last two are often through the lens of gender as it affects other diversity/social justice issues

Feminist Supervision  Feminist supervision models promote a lens or a way of enacting the supervision process that is characterized by:  Collaboration  Transparency  Developmental considerations  Active discussions of power and diversity  Active discussion of boundaries  Focus on social justice and advocacy rather than “just therapy”

What is Multicultural Supervision? Multicultural supervision refers to supervisory situations in which supervisors and trainees examine a variety of cultural issues pertinent to effectively counseling diverse clients (Leong & Wagner, 1994). Multicultural supervision may involve the development of cultural awareness, exploration of the cultural dynamics of the counseling supervisory relationship, and discussion of the cultural assumptions of traditional counseling theories (Robinson, Bradley, & Hendricks, 2000). ~Excerpted from Ancis & Marshall, 2010

Multicultural Models of Supervision  Focused primarily on:  Development of cultural awareness  Biases, assumptions, knowledge of cultures, critique of cultural assumptions in traditional approaches to psychology  Processing of cultural differences  In supervision and in therapy  Delivery of culturally appropriate and relevant services

Multicultural Supervision Continued  Domains of MC supervision include (Ancis & Landry 2001):  Personal Development (for supervisee and supervisor)  Conceptualization of the impact of cultural forces, including oppression and discrimination, on people  Interventions – the flexible use of interventions so they are contextually appropriate  Process – the ability of have open and honest conversations about power and diversity  Evaluation – the mandate for supervisors to remediate weaknesses in other areas

Multicultural Models of Supervision  Queer People of Color Resilience-Based Model (Signh & Chun, 2010)  Post-colonial Supervision (Hernandez & McDowell, 2010)  Multicultural Assessment Supervision (Allen, 2007)

The Intersection of Multicultural and Feminist Supervision

Putting it all together…  Importance of Self-Examination (supervisor and supervisee)  Personal commitment to uncertainty and being uncomfortable  Decreasing isolation through decreasing silence  Addressing power and privilege dynamics in ongoing way  Deconstructing not just therapy, but supervision too  Openness to complexity – of relationship and supervisee development (nonlinear)  Willingness to be human and vulnerable while also being mentor and role model

Questions & Discussion

Discussion Questions  How are, for you, feminist and multicultural supervision the same or different?  How do multicultural issues and feminism shape your supervision practice?  What are your reactions to feminist word and how are you willing or not willing to use it?  What are some sticky situations or dialogues you encounter as you try to supervise from one or both approaches?  Who is a feminist or multiculturalist that you have as your mentor/someone you emulate?  How often, really, do you intentionally raise issues of social justice/multiculturalism in supervision? Why or why not?