Top 5 Questions Every Play Therapy Supervisor Must Ask

As a Play Therapy Supervisor, guiding and supporting your supervisee is a crucial role. By asking the right questions and navigating difficult conversations, you can help them grow and develop as play therapists.

Here are a few questions to consider asking:

1. What are the specific objectives and goals that you want to achieve in this play therapy session?

It is essential to encourage your supervisee to identify and set clear goals to ensure they maintain focus and intentionality throughout the session.

By setting goals, your supervisee can have a more structured approach to their sessions, and it allows for ongoing reflection and evaluation of their progress. Also, discussing goals at the beginning of the session can help your supervisee focus on specific areas they would like to work on, and you can provide support and guidance to help them achieve these objectives.

Additionally, setting goals can help your supervisee track their progress and identify areas of strength or areas that need improvement. By identifying areas that need improvement, your supervisee can develop strategies and interventions to address these issues and provide better support to their clients.

 

2. How do your interventions align with the theoretical framework?

 

In order to more fully align your interventions with the theoretical framework, it may be helpful to explore how supervisees apply different theories and techniques in their play therapy sessions.

By doing so, you can spark valuable discussions about their approach and help them deepen their understanding of various therapeutic modalities. This deeper understanding can then be applied to future sessions, allowing them to more effectively support their clients and achieve better outcomes.

Additionally, by encouraging your supervisee to reflect on their own approach and consider alternate perspectives, you can help foster a culture of ongoing learning and growth within your team.

 

3. Have you thought about cultural considerations in your practice?

 

Cultural competence is a critical aspect of any practice, and it is essential to consider cultural diversity in your approach. Encouraging your supervisees to reflect on the diverse cultural backgrounds and the impact it has on their work is a crucial step towards developing cultural sensitivity.

It is important to provide a safe space for your supervisee to discuss their experiences and learn from each other. You can encourage them to share their unique perspectives and approaches to their work that incorporate cultural considerations.

These discussions can enhance their cultural competence and foster sensitivity towards their clients’ backgrounds and experiences. By providing your supervisee with the tools they need to navigate cultural diversity, you are not only enhancing their professional development, but also improving the quality of care your clients receive.

 

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4. What challenges have you encountered during your sessions?

 

During supervision sessions, it is not uncommon for supervisees to face various challenges that can hinder their progress.

Some of these challenges may include:

  • Difficulties in building rapport with clients
  • Struggling to develop effective treatment plans
  • Feeling overwhelmed by the complex nature of certain cases

It is important for supervisors to address these challenges in order to help their supervisees reflect on their experiences and seek guidance. By doing so, supervisees can identify strategies to overcome obstacles and enhance their therapeutic skills.

One potential strategy could be to provide additional training or resources on specific therapeutic techniques or interventions. Another strategy could be to encourage supervisees to engage in self-care practices, such as mindfulness or stress-reduction techniques, in order to manage the emotional toll of their work and avoid burnout.

Ultimately, the goal of supervision is to support supervisees in their professional growth and development, and addressing challenges is an important part of achieving that goal.

 

5. How do you plan to incorporate feedback from previous sessions into future therapeutic work?

 

It is crucial for therapists to take feedback from previous sessions seriously to continuously improve the quality of their work. One way that supervisees can incorporate feedback is by utilizing video recording of sessions and bringing video clips to supervision.

When reviewing video work it can be helpful to highlight strengths as well as possible opportunities for growth.

Supervisees can then discuss this with their supervisor and collaboratively develop a plan to implement changes in their future sessions.

Another way to incorporate feedback is through taking time for mindful self-reflection and self-evaluation. Supervisees can keep a journal and write down their thoughts and feelings about their sessions, including what they learned, what challenges they faced, and how they can improve.

This can also serve as a tool for the supervisor to provide targeted feedback and support.

 

By posing these questions, you create a supportive and educational environment that encourages supervisees to explore their own thought processes and feelings regarding the play therapy sessions they facilitate. This can lead to a deeper understanding of the therapeutic process and the unique needs of each child.

Additionally, this exploration can help supervisors identify areas where their supervisees may need additional support or guidance to become confident and competent in providing effective play therapy sessions.

By fostering this growth and development, supervisors can ensure that their supervisees are well-equipped to provide the highest quality care to their clients.

 

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