Supervision and Consultation

Supervision is the formal provision by a qualified health practitioner of an intensive, relationship-based education and training that is case-focused and which supports, directs, and guides the work of supervisees. The functions of supervision include quality control, maintaining and facilitating the supervisee’s competence and capability, and helping supervisee’s to work effectively (Milne, 2007).

Dr. Jones has been a Registered Psychologist in Alberta since 2012, and worked in a hospital-setting as a clinician and manager before moving into private practice with his clinic, Loving Choices Ltd, founded in 2018. His training was very clinically-oriented at first, which lead him to trainings where he discovered the importance of integrating emotions, attachment, and social systems into his practice. Dr. Jones was fortunate to complete his PhD more recently (completed in 2020), which gave him the chance to learn about feminist principles, social justice theories, and diversity concerns which were not as prevalent when he completed his Masters degree in 2011.

Dr. Jones has moved from a more CBT-based practice into an attachment-based practice that provides more space for clients to honour their social experiences and normalize their trauma or attachment distress responses. He now use EFT, experiential processing, focusing, and systems theories to better respect the role of relationships in client’s lives. This turn was also consistent with his focus on sex and couples therapy in private practice, which drove him to become an AASECT Certified Sex Therapist and Sex Therapy Supervisor. It also drove him to complete his PhD thesis on marginalized sexual experiences of women. Dr. Jones has been supervising sex therapist candidates since 2019 and has found that the activity keeps him alert, active, and engaged in the field in a way that improves his therapeutic practice, knowledge and expertise, and helps him connect with other members of the sex therapy community collaboratively. 

Since attachment theory is a part of his theoretical orientation, Dr. Jones strives to engage supervisees in a secure relational way to foster transparency, compassion, and a strong working relationship. His goal is to have honest, direct, and compassionate communication throughout the process to help supervisee’s complete their goals. The relationship between supervisor and supervisee is of the utmost importance and is attended to throughout the process. It is noted that the secure attachment is not intended to translate into personal therapy.

As a psychologist with 15 years of experience with clients working towards health, relationship, and emotional goals, Dr. Jones can provide knowledge related to his work and training in EFT, Gottman methods, somatic experiencing, trauma work, post-divorce family conflict, and body appreciation. He can also provide subject matter expertise in sexual health with an attitude towards social justice and feminist principles. 

In terms of how this theoretical journey is operationalized in supervision, Dr. Jones believes in providing a relationship-based process that is catered to each supervisee’s experiential processing of how they are engaging with clients and how their methods are impacting clients. Dr. Jones provides resources and suggested readings, psychoeducation of methods and models, and strategic mentorship for supervisees learning how to apply their theoretical training into a practical application. Role plays and review of clinical tapes can also be part of the process, depending on what fits for the supervisee.

Reference:

Milne, D. (2007). An empirical definition of clinical supervision. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 46, 437-447. https://doi.org/10,1348/014466507X197415