Interactional Supervision, 4th edition

by Lawrence Shulman

Clinical supervision is fraught with difficulties, and those who transition from frontline worker to supervisor often receive little training or support, particularly when it comes to the interpersonal skills needed for implementing complex human relations tasks. Left to their own devices, clinical supervisors must navigate myriad challenges like these real-world A supervisor decided that the evaluation process would be a good time to level with a long-term staff member about his inadequate performance. She reviewed the staff member s personnel record and discovered that previous supervisors had given the employee consistently positive and obviously false evaluations. She dreaded the approaching conference, expecting the worker to be angry. A supervisor was asked by her administrator to back her up when staff were notified of budget cuts that would result in pay cuts and heavier caseloads. At a team meeting, one worker, who appeared to be speaking for the rest, said to the supervisor, You are going to be with us on this one, aren t you? A recently promoted Black supervisor heard that many members of the largely White staff thought he had obtained the promotion because of the agency s affirmative action program. Nothing was said directly; however, he could sense tension in the staff group. He felt angry, hurt, and bitter at the racist element in his reception and increasingly isolated at the agency. Drawing on decades of his own experience and the experiences of those he has trained, Lawrence Shulman provides clear, simple models of supervision using a conversational tone and practical advice in this must-have resource. Every phase of supervision is discussed in detail, with a focus on communication, making demands for work, facing taboo subjects, and transitioning into and out of roles and relationships. Strategies for group work and meetings include everyday challenges; trauma, such as client deaths; violence against frontline workers; and cutbacks. Supervisors will learn how to apply Shulman s parallel process framework in their interactions with frontline workers to model ideal interactions between workers and their clients. In this fourth edition, evidence-based practices and interventions are updated to include the latest ethical and legal aspects of supervision and also feminist; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning; and trauma-informed practice. An electronic teaching guide is now also available from publisher for separate purchase.

Genres: Social Work

500 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1992

Reviews

[Daniel Seifert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shulman’s Interactional Supervision works off of three primary assumptions. First is the number of common dynamics and core skills are central to all supervision processes (with respect to the various settings social workers are employed). Here the common elements are stressed while recognizing there are some variant elements of the supervision practice that are specific to particular settings and actors involved.

Second, many of these dynamics and skills are universal to the various modes of interaction within which supervisors operate. While there are key skills equally relevant when working with staff individually and in groups, there are, of course, important differences as well. In addition, the same skills and dynamics used in the supervisors’ responsibilities for formal group meetings and coordinating the work of staff members in the informal system can also be applied to the work of supervision as they represent concerns to the administration, deal with other supervisors on issues of conflict between units, or relate to outside agencies.

The third assumption is that there are parallels between the dynamics of supervision and any other helping relationship. Thus the skills that are important in direct practice with clients are also important to the supervisory relationship. While the relationship of supervisor and staff member or group should not become a therapeutic relationship, it is essential that the relationship remain focused on helping staff carry out their work-related tasks with their clients; viz., what is known about effective communication and relationship skills can be useful in implementing diverse aspects of supervisory function, such as coordinating, education, and evaluation. The supervisor demonstrates the helping relationship with workers thus influencing the manner in which staff members relate to clients. This parallel process is crucial in the relationship where more is “caught” by staff that “taught” by the supervisor.

[Danielle]

Read for a Supervision course I took in graduate school. The book itself is pretty good - lots of useful information in a format that I found to be helpful for integration. It presented a lot of theories and models, but also broke those down into tangible concepts with examples to help illustrate. This is definitely a book I will keep on my bookshelf in that corner office one day ;)

[Aaron Badgley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well researched, easy to read and easy to put into practice. Ideal for supervisors/managers.