Prepared for UNH Center for Professional Excellence in Child Welfare by Sarah Ake

You will learn…  The definitions & characteristics of peer supervision  The benefits of peer supervision  How to start a peer supervision group, including recruiting members, structuring, contracting and first beginnings  How peer supervision applies to work in child welfare  Why peer supervision is effective, ethical, and needed - especially in a tough economy

 A group of organized professionals with same knowledge, skill levels, and status  No defined leader  An organized group of professionals who meet regularly to discuss:  Professional challenges  Self-exploration  Diversity and culture  New interventions & solutions  Ethical dilemmas or situations  Difficult caseloads

 Psychodynamic  Parallel process  Developmental model  Stages of the group  Role centered model  Group supervisor, the counselor, the client, present or non present significant others, multicultural role, theoretical perspectives, etc.

 Networking  Develop a Professional Identity  Practice of Supervision & Skills  Including Role playing, challenging assumptions, learning multiple interventions and solutions  Cohesion & Support in the profession  Peer interaction  Counteracts against social isolation in the profession  Lack of a power struggle  Gain Self-efficacy, Trust, & Self-Esteem  Counteracts Burnout

 Staying on Task  Group Member Interactions  Group members not getting along, problems with communication, etc.  Inappropriate contracting  Lateness, attendance, time to speak, etc.  Inappropriate evaluation  Shame or guilt

 Members  Interview Process  Four to Six  Ten to Fifteen  Rotating Presenters  Contracting  Lateness, Time to speak, Attendance, monopolizing, silence, etc.  Evaluation

 Effective Supervision is needed in high stress professions  Child welfare workers need support of their co-workers and administrations

 Values of the profession  Social work  Psychotherapy  Counseling  Confidentiality  Rights & Responsibilities  Informed Consent  Example: the right to leave the peer supervision group.

Reflection Activity:  You want to include another individual in your peer supervision group. You and another member, with the permission of the group, decide to meet with a few individuals in the office who may want to join. What kinds of things might you ask a possible new group member?  You just started a peer supervision group and it has been going well. You are exploring your caseloads, finding out more about yourself, and connecting with others. In the tenth supervision group, one of the members who always has good input, always validates others, promotes self-exploration, and upholds the contract suddenly leaves. You and the other members in the group decide to continue on with the group but you feel that it isn’t the same and the group seems to be falling off track. What would you do?

Thank you for participating in this training!

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