How do I get started in OT supervision?

You will need a supervision agreement, know how to prepare and agree a session outline. In this blog, I will share some examples of what could help you in each of these areas.

What should I have in my OT supervision agreement?

All supervisees should have a supervision contract or agreement. Ideally you want to collaborate with your supervisor about the content. Agree expectations and boundaries.

Such as:

• How often you will have supervision
• How you prepare for supervision
• How long are the sessions
• Who & how it is recorded
• How do I manage potential conflict?
• Identify a 3rd party to help resolve this at the beginning of your supervisory relationship
• If it is in person, online or mix of both
• You may want to add in some details here about your learning and communication styles

How can I prepare for OT supervision?

There are lots of different ways to prepare, here are some examples.

• Take 5 mins before your session and note down any clinical cases you wish to discuss, any themes that have arisen since your last session, any relational issues, CPD undertaken and any wins
• Send an email to your supervisor with key points /Agenda items
• Review your actions from the previous session
• Make sure you have physical time to get to the room, turn off your notifications on phones, emails etc
• Be aware of your emotional and sensory regulation needs-are you in the best place for the session? If needed take a moment to connect with yourself & reset

What should each OT supervision session include?

The agenda format should have some consistent themes, it needs all parties to agree on a format that works. It can look something like this:

• Start with a catch up - How are you? Making personal connections
• Firstly list any items to be discussed-clinical, themes, relationships, CPD, projects, personal development
• Agree priority items and start there
• Note action points for each person and a timeline
• Towards end, summaries action points & agree them
• CPD: you may wish to list recent CPD activities to add to your portfolio for continuous record (HCPC standard 1)
• Set date & time for next session
• Agree/review time frame supervision notes will be shared.

Takeaway:

Use these 3 areas to help you get started in your OT supervision

• Agreement
• Preparation
• Session outline

Looking for some ready to use OT supervision templates to help you get started?

Then download my E- book OT Supervision: Getting Started to help you access ready-to-use templates. This E-book includes templates for a supervision agreement outline, a preparation form, a session record form plus a simple form to support Gibbs reflective questions.

Written by Lynsay McFarlane-Shaw OT Supervisor / Independent Occupational Therapist