What Should I Expect in a Supervision Session?

Supervision sessions for psychology in Australia are typically focused on providing guidance, support, and feedback to provisional psychologists as they work towards meeting the requirements for registration. The specific format and content of supervision sessions can vary depending on the supervisor and current goals of the supervisee but generally, you can expect the following during a supervision session:

1. Review of clients and caseload: You will likely be asked to engage in case discussions from your work with clients, and the supervisor will review the case with you. This may include discussing your assessment and treatment plans, as well as your progress with clients.
2. Discussion and review of client treatment: You will likely discuss your initial semi-structured interview, case formulation and treatment plan for your clients.
3. Evidence-based intervention: When relevant you will discuss with your supervisor the evidence based intervention options for your clients and their presenting issues.
4. Professional development: Your supervisor will likely provide guidance and feedback on your professional development. This may include discussing areas of strength and areas for improvement, as well as providing advice on continuing education opportunities and other resources.
5. Ethical and legal considerations: Your supervisor will likely discuss ethical and legal considerations related to your work with clients. This may include discussing the Code of Ethics, Ethical Guidelines laws and regulations related to the practice of psychology in Australia.
6. Self-reflection: Your supervisor will likely encourage you to reflect on your own thoughts, feelings, and behaviours in relation to your work with clients. This may include discussing your own personal biases, emotions, and limitations that may be impacting your work.
7. Supervision goals: Your supervisor will likely set goals for your supervision sessions, and help you to develop a plan to achieve them.
8. Review of logbooks: Reviewing logbooks weekly or fortnightly is an administrative task required to be undertaken by your supervisor. This is a very important element of supervision and the internship program as it records your progress within the internship and is used to keep the Psychology Board of Australia informed.

It's always recommended to check with your supervisor or the relevant registration board for information on the internship guidelines and the expectations for the supervision sessions. Setting an agenda at the commencement of supervision and preparing topics to take to supervision will ensure the content covered in supervision meets your needs as the supervisee.

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