COUNSELLING IN PSYCHOLOGY 14
Supervisionin Psychology – Self-reflective Paper
FOLLOW-UP THOUGHTS AND REFLECTIONS
Animportant lessonlearnt during the residence was the need to observe inter-culturalcommunications with those under counselling. Communication was anunderpinning factor as it enabled successful conveyance between thepsychologist and the person under session. Some of the factorsemphasized in communicating across cultures included
Culturalidentity was the first factor. Throughout the residence, it wasemphasized that supervisors shouldaim atidentifying a person’s culture and their beliefs, values,lifestyles, and related cultural aspects. As practitionerpsychologists, it was advisable to gather a person’s familybackground, suchas family health records, psychological issues facing family members,andother health detailsthat could be used to make an informed judgement with regard to theindividual (Berkel et al. 2007). After successful gathering ofbackground information, psychologists were required to know aboutwhat candidates [or clients] expected in terms of communication. Thisof course required further consultations and analysis on the side ofthe practitioner.
Genderrole identity was the second factor of analysis. Gender identity wasan instrumental part of supervising particularly when communicatingwith females. Most of the issues identified in psychology are likelyto revolve around gender – becausefemales report more psychological disorders than their malecounterparts.The psychologist supervisors were constantly encouraged to be awareof how people from different cultures viewed gender and the rolesthey allocated to both male and females. They were also required toidentify how best to deal with reported cases.
Examiningbehavioral patterns was also addressed. An important feedback andreflection from the residence was how patients behaved temper,anger, and emotional outbursts.Sources note that variations in behavior are common to differentpeople (Mullen et al. 2007). Culture affects how individualscommunicate, how they interact and even socialize with professionalpractitioners.
Animportant learning experience throughout the residence was theCognitive Behavioral Therapy, commonly known as the CBT theresidence provided the opportunity to conduct behavioral therapies ona range of candidates. The practice required practitioners to have anopen mind because pre-cognitive judgements ‘onthe side of professionals’could lead to misinterpretation of the problem at hand. For instance,when professionals have an Islamic visitor and in their mind theyperceive Islam as violent, conservative, or even hot-tempered inthis case, it is difficult to offer a good counselling based on suchperceptions. The CBT experience, therefore, formed an importantbenchmark whereby professionals should keep an open mind.
Aspart of the experience in the residence, it is important to developan interest on what people feel and the state of their emotions. Inmost circumstances, psychology, particularly cognitive behavioraltherapy, assists practitioners to uncover the feelings, attitudes,and emotions of people (Melnick and Fall, 2008). The above practiceis done with successful identification of conditions andcircumstances affecting them. It was important to cultivate a cultureof tolerance since most reported problems fellunder selected categoriesobsessive compulsive disorder [OCD], depression, anxiety, and panicdisorders. Counsellors, therefore, had to develop a unique sense oftolerance to problems since patients were uneasy, displayed constantdisturbances, and some failed to sustain communications withpractitioners. Overall, the experience was fulfilling it gave me anopportunity to discover, learn, and apply clinical principles,values, and skills in real-life scenarios.Duringthe residence, it was important to develop the skills and theabilities to interact with people from different cultures.
SKILLS AND STRENGTHS FOR FURTHER DEVELOPMENT
Identificationof the exact psychological issues facing a client was an area thatrequired more practice and experience.Most clients who visited failed to specify specific issues they werefacing. Theywere not able to give explicit symptoms of their conditions.On a few incidences, clients provided symptoms that matched theclinical catalogs like the DSM-5 book. The catalogs refer to alreadyprinted and published information that is compared with the symptomsreported by clients and later used for evaluation by psychologists.Mostpsychologists have a handbook of the general psychology issues facedby clients. When symptoms are reported, practitioners can easilycompare them with those on the handbook.Thefailure to offer solid information and exact symptoms faced bypatients made it hard to identify an exact problem – or even topinpoint the exact issues facing the client. The aforementionedissue, further, made it hard to come up with a treatment plan and aschedule for respective candidates. From a personal experience, therewas a shortage of skills in the identification of depression, trauma,and post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSDs). Consequently, it isimportant to develop this portfolio without necessarily confirmingissues from catalogs already published and stored. However, immediateidentification of problems as reported by victims requires experienceand exhaustive practice as a counsellor. Nevertheless, this is anarea of personal interest that requires proper development andgrowth.
Creationof treatment plans was another area that demanded furtherdevelopment. After the identification of the issues reported bypatients, psychologists should proceed to design treatment plans,schedules, and timelines. To do this, practitioners have to encouragepatients to talk, to express, and to be open to issues facing them(Nelson et al. 2008). Organizations and healthcare settings encouragepsychologists to develop treatment plans based on the needs ofclients (Ramos-Sanchez et al. 2002). Practitioners, therefore, haveto work constantly with victims in the determination of the mostworkable solutions. Personally, this was an area that needed furtherdevelopment. From a personal perspective, the ability to make solidschedules is critical however, doing this will require furtherpractice and direct involvement with patients.
Dataprotection and patient confidentiality is a critical aspect ofpsychology counselling. Oncertain occasions,psychologists are encouraged to keep records while at the same timeprotecting patients through confidentiality (Barnett, 2007).Personally, this is an area that requires further development. Thereis the need to develop the skills of self-discipline, integrity, andwell-grounded values and moral principles. In most situations, it waspressing to share a patient’s information and their conditions. Itwas hard to share such information because patients faced completelystrange issues. However, after a critical analysis of the matter, Idiscovered the need to develop the moral courage to protect thevictims’ information from unnecessary exposure. Also, moral couragehelps to constantly practice and champion the values of honesty,integrity, and transparency.
Itis important to note that psychology supervision requiresall-roundedness on the side of the practitioner. As residents, wewere involved in making group arrangements and sessions. Thishappened mostly when addressing issues within a group of patients.However, it was a surprising realization that it is very challengingto gather the courage required to successfully interact with a group.Everyone shares different experience, have varying issues andproblems, and some display unique characteristics and features.Communicating well within a group of people with different issues wasan area of improvement. For the first time, it was my realizationthat gathering wide background knowledge would help manage groupconversations and successfully offer solutions that could apply to agroup of drug addicts. One challenging aspect in group supervision iswhen a question is raised and the psychologist has no answer orsolution to it. Failure to give a solid response will affect theperceptions of victims that they tend to have on the professionalthey may also have doubt concerning the qualification andprofessional experience of that specific counsellor (Presbury et al.1999). Group communication was an area that demanded further insightand knowledge hence, psychologists should spare enough time in thisarea.
Arange of areas needed development. Among these included managingpsychological therapy programs and arrangements, scrutinizingclinical materials in the identification of issues of historicalnature – and consequently applying them to a patient’s situation.Also, gathering background knowledge on a range of psychology issues,and building a strong portfolio as a psychologist was vital to beable to attend to a range of psychology problems. Thisself-reflective paper supports that it is possible to seal the abovementioned gaps to achieve future intended objectives and futuresuccess. However, doing that will require long-term practice,willingness to learn and to retain knowledge, further research onpsychology counselling practices, and exposure in a high-intensitycounselling environment. The latter may refer to an organization, ahealthcare setting, or even a well-known psychology platform.Exposure would boost practice, expand knowledge, and allow theattendance of multiple issues with ease and expertise. Undeniably,there is the need to develop solid plans for professional growth.
Animportant skill for further development was the need to give propersupervision in a clinical setting. The goal of setting was to enhancethe level of professional competence and to allow psychologists toadhere to science-based practices. Clinical supervision is highlyvalued in psychological settings whereby professionals have to meetcertain goals and to cover set timelines and schedules (Protivnak andFoss, 2009). There is a pressing need to re-evaluate my skills insupervision. Specific details that need further evaluation anddevelopment include supervision competence, supervisoryrelationships, professionalism, giving feedback, evaluation andassessment, professionalism, and legal, ethical and regulatoryconsiderations.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Continuingprofessional development is important for psychologists. This isbecause they are faced with a range of issues, and some problems theywill be expected to solve in the future would have emerged in recenttimes. The need for professional development and growth comes fromthe broad range of roles these professionals are expected toundertake. These include supervision, developing coherent workingrelationships, ensuring human resources are there to address existingneeds and concerns, and creating an environment of productivity,quality, and competence. This section of the self-reflective paperlooks at the plans for professional growth as a psychologist insupervision during the residence. It addresses the needs to furthereducation, more practice, experience, and developing a strongbackground on the relationship between professionals. Above mentionedareas will help me as a practitioner to meet the supervisory needs ofclinical nature.
Identification of Psychologist Registration requirements for Continued Professional Development [CPD]
Thefirst step will be to identify the status of my registration and todetermine the areas I am expected to serve or work in. Usually,psychologist practices are limited to a person’s area of study andarea of expertise (Ronnestad and Skovholt, 1993). This reflectionsupports that identifying and taking note of my registration [by arecognized psychology body] status will help determine theprofessional limitations of my qualifications and what is needed toexpand my career portfolio. An important part of examining the statusof my registration will be to understand the scope of my knowledge,its area of application, and how such pre-requisites can be improvedto expand my practice. The first step of any career growth andprofessional development is to identify where a practitioner is [interms of qualifications and experience]. By doing so, it will bepossible to lay a plan for future development in terms ofinternships, specializing in another area of study, improving thecurrent academic qualifications, and looking for experience in otherorganizations of clinical nature.
3.2Developing a Learning Plan
Thelearning plan that will be developed will aim at increasing knowledgeon clinical supervision and other relevant areas of practice. Thisplan addresses the need for research, examining the previous works ofpsychology supervisors and how they address day-to-day supervisions,setting goals on what to achieve and by when, determining the contextwhere certain supervisory practices can apply and where they cannot,and building an experience of supervision. While most learning plansare provided for when students enroll for a continued professionalpractice program, I believe that as a professional, it is possible todevelop one’s learning goals without necessarily advancing thelevel of education. Self-learning, therefore, remains an instrumentalstep of my professional growth.
3.3Undertaking a Continued Professional Development Program – APA 10.
Mosthospitals offer programs geared towards the professional competenceof practitioners. Some of these programs are comprehensive becausethey gather instructors from higher learning institutions, someincorporate experts, and some feature highly competent staff workingfor well-known organizations. Part of my plan will be to enroll in aCPD program from a respected institution or even organization. Theprogram should provide insight on supervision, CBT practices, ethicalobligations for practitioners, and other important areas.
3.4Applying the CPD and the need for Further Practice
Sourcesnote that a major part of learning for psychologist is exposureclinical settings provide the much-needed convenience forprofessionals to learn, engage, interact, and understand the scope ofpractice. A special area for consideration will be to use theknowledge and information gathered in the continued professionaldevelopment in real-life context. Thus, making critical adjustmentsto my career portfolio and looking for an opportunity to work in highintensity organizations and healthcare settings will be of immensesignificance. As a result, it will be possible to put gainedknowledge, skills, and experiences into practice.
Personal Reading, Exposure, and Development
Readingprovides a classic platform for professional developmentprofessionals are likely to develop their knowledge and experience ofworkplace settings when they fully understand the scope of theirpractice. Journals and periodic magazines from the government,institutions, hospitals, clinics, and psychological settings provideimprovements in the practice. Some of these materials are importantin highlighting the supervision challenges faced by practitioners,current trends in supervision, how to manage complex workrelationships, how to build a work culture, and how to enableprofessional and practitioners to work together in meeting set goalsand objectives. I, therefore, plan to keep track of magazines,publications, and articles as they relate to supervision.
THEORETICAL ORIENTATION TO PSYCHOLOGY SUPERVISION
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
TheCBT theory is grounded on how individuals feel [emotions], how theythink [cognition], and how they function [behavior]. How individualsthink affects their feelings and has a lasting impact on theirbehavior and actions. A clear example on how CBT functions is whenindividuals have psychology issues including trauma, distress, andpain disorders. The major effect of this condition prompts victims tobehave in skewed ways and they end up causing major losses to thosearound them (Mullen et al. 2007). The need for CBT is to conversewith victims, to understand their emotions, to change their thinkingand consequently improve behavior. Cognitive behavioral therapy,therefore, remains indispensable in every stage of psychology.Above-mentioned practice helps individuals to know how they makenegative responses, what prompts their actions, how their thinkingis, and what can be done to improve the way they think? The CBT isalso used to change irrational thoughts when victims show the signsof poor thinking, the practice is also used to learn a new dialogue.The CBT practice is also used to address maladaptive behavior andconducts and for relaxation training. In relaxation, the therapyallows victims to communicate their problems, issues facing them, andother problems of concern to him. Other problems addressed by CBTpractices include sleep disorders such as insomnia, challenges ofalcohol abuse, phobias, panic disorders and the mental health ingeneral.
Fromthe residence experience, my perspective isthat cognitive behavioraltherapy should be learnt and understood by all supervisors, who intheir practice, engage with the staff on a day-to-day basis. Thecentral function of supervisors is to create a streamlined workingrelationship among professionals – and to cultivate an environmentfor productivity and competence (Ramos-Sanchez et al. 2002). The CBTtheory helps because supervisors can communicate with the staff,understand their needs, and know how best to motivate their behaviorstowards the betterment of an organization. An important part of theCBT theoretical orientation for a psychologist supervisor is to beable to ‘read’ and interpret the feelings of workers, theirperspectives regarding specific lines of work, and how all theprofessionals in a clinical setting can be encouraged to work towardsmeeting the higher purposes served by an organization. A furthersignificance of CBT is to allow supervisors to assist those who theysupervise. In most cases and under special circumstances, apractitioner in the line of work may develop a sudden response thatmay prompt them to ask for a leave. Although a supervisor may grant aleave based on the nature of the response, it is important tounderstand the problems, issues, and concerns faced by workers inmaintaining an environment of productivity.
Thisself-reflective analysis, therefore, believes that mytheoretical-orientation during the residence was cognitive behavioraltherapy. The CBT was applied in many situations as it had a widerscope of coverage. Given that most issues faced by psychologypatients revolve around their emotions, feelings, and thinking,behavioral therapies prove instrumental in addressing varying needs.The CBT provides a framework through which practitioners can examineindividual needs, interpret them, compare and contrast issues basedon historical cases, and design a plan for treatment. Most cognitivebehavioral plans revolve around talking, conversing, and exchangingcritical information. This way, the psychology may understandcognitive issues of patients and determine steps of actions that canbe undertaken to improve behavior. A primary motivation for choosingthe cognitive behavioral therapy as my theoretical orientation is itsscope of application. The theory can be applied in diverse areaswhen dealing with the staff [during supervision], in clinical care,at home, when addressing family issues, and even child upbringing.Above orientation is an all-rounded practice, which when combinedwith further insight and knowledge about psychology, it can yieldbetter returns for both patients and practitioners.
5.CONCLUSION
Theresidence offered insight and created knowledge on many areas ofpsychology. The self-reflective analysis supports that clinicalsupervision made it possible to understand work cultures, how to dealwith diversity in a workplace setting, how to address work-relatedissues, and the most appropriate ways of building a culture ofproductivity and competence. An important part of the residence wasthe ability to define my professional identity through theoreticalorientation. In this realization, the cognitive behavioral therapyproved instrumental in a range of environs for both the staff andwhen dealing with patients. The residence also made it possible tounderstand which areas needed improvement. These includedcommunication skill (includingwriting and verbal),supervision competence, working with people from different cultures,and understanding and interpreting behavior. In this realization, Ifound it important to develop plans for professional development andgrowth – these plans have been identified as enrolling for acontinued professional development program, self-learning (through publications, journals, and scholarly articles),examining the works of clinical psychologists, and further practiceintended to build an experience. Theabove analysis surmises the paper creating insight and addingknowledge on my experience in the residence.
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