Susie Upton on Becoming a Supervisor

Provisional Psychologist Hub's Director, Susie Upton, provides an insight on her career as a Board Approved Supervisor, as well as some tips on becoming a successful Supervisor.

After working in both corporate , non-for profit and private practice roles I moved into a Practice Supervisor role overseeing the clinical and therapeutic services of counselling services.

As the team grew, more provisional psychologists were apart of the team to provide counselling and psychological intervention to children affected by trauma. My career as a supervisor was inspired by my passion for evidenced base intervention and ensuring clients receive high quality services.

I received professional, supportive and admirable supervision during my 4+2 internship from my principal supervisor. I have taken many of the life and professional lessons imparted by my principal supervisor into my career.

Like many I have also had times where supervision and management did not align with my values, beliefs or growth as an early career psychologist. In all professions, there are differences in opinion and differences in decision making, during a career in psychology these moments are opportunities for us to reflect, research, seek supervision, consult, learn and apply to our practice. Upon reflection, there have been many times that I would have changed my approach, or the actions taken when making difficult decisions.

During supervision I have strived to support, educate and bring to light the complexities of our role as psychologists. During supervision with provisional psychologists the challenges faced by supervisees are learning opportunities.

Keys to successful supervision

• A strong professional working relationship
• Transparent, clear communication
• Boundaries and clear expectations set
• Responsibilities of both the supervisee and supervisor outlined from the commencement
• Respect for each others time, opinion and experience
• A clear process for raising concerns, queries or complaints
• An understanding of each others roles and responsibilities

To learn more about Supervision for Board Approved Supervisors, click HERE.

Visit our Psychology Supervisor Hub HERE