Clinical Supervision

Clinical Supervision is an essential professional requirement for social workers (clinicians and caseworkers) and other professionals working in mental health. In clinical supervision, practitioners reflect on clinical work, discuss challenges, and enhance clinical skills through case review and thoughtful clinical discussion. The focus is on providing support and refining clinical practice knowledge to improve client care. It provides an opportunity to debrief, receive emotional support, increase awareness, and reflect on challenging situations in a safe and supportive environment. The focus on reflection in clinical supervision distinguishes it from to line – management or administrative supervision.

I offer one-on-one or group supervision.

Individual Supervision

I offer one on one supervision sessions online, or in person in Sydney organisations. Individual clinical supervision provides personalised and specialised mentoring and consultancy, with sessions tailored to your unique needs and stage of career. I work collaboratively with you to identify and help you build on your strengths and address your areas for professional development. Using a developmental supervision approach, I meet you wherever you are in your career.

Contact me to discuss your clinical supervision needs.

Group Supervision

Group Supervision and debriefing has a number of benefits for group members and the team. Discussing cases as a group allows group participants to seek multiple points of view when they are presenting a case and allows others the opportunity to hear how your peers practice and what they may also be struggling with. I create a safe and open environment for case discussion and invite everyone’s participation to normalise experiences and build collective knowledge and support. As I provide group session online (unless you are based in Sydney), I limit numbers to 4 participants to ensure active engagement and involvement.

Check out my blog article on trauma informed group practice strategies and the FAQ page below on the benefits of group supervision.

Get in touch to establish group supervision or group debriefing for your agency.

Benefits of Supervision

Sustainable work practices that prevent burnout.
Improved well-being and self-care strategies.
Secondary consultation
Clarity in professional identity and career direction.
Better client outcomes and communication
Increased confidence and practice skills.
Increased knowledge about client presentations.
Greater ability to reflect on your work.

“Melinda was a wonderful mentor to me from early on in my career. I appreciated Melinda’s reflective and clinical approach that was flexible to my learning needs and goals. Her support really allowed me to develop my clinical skills. She encouraged me to think in alternative ways, challenged me in areas I sought to develop and created a supportive space for me to progress my career much quicker than anticipated. She will support you to get where you want to be! whether in direct practice or leadership.” — Maddison Cassidy, Team Leader, Foundation House.

Who Can Benefit from Clinical Supervision

Clinicians and caseworkers.
Social workers achieving mental health social work accreditation.
Clinical supervisors.
Other professionals including community development workers, lawyers and welfare workers working within social justice, trauma and mental health fields.
Teams and groups.

I provide online sessions but can provide face-to-face sessions for organisations in Sydney. Get in touch to gain confidence in your practice.

“Melinda is an exceptional social work supervisor who combines her expertise with support and understanding. Melinda’s strengths are her ability to listen, and provide thoughtful, intelligent, and inspiring guidance. She also offers clarity when navigating challenging work experiences. Her extensive experience across diverse social work environments enriches her supervision, allowing her to draw on a wealth of knowledge to support my growth.” — Angela Jones, Senior Social Worker, Cabrini Health.

My Approach to Supervision

Every person brings unique skills and experiences to the supervision space. At person2person Consulting, I take a person-centred, collaborative approach, recognising the expertise you already hold while also helping you to reflect on your work and coaching you through any challenges. Together, we identify your strengths and needs, set supervision goals, and periodically review them. My role is to help you develop skills and knowledge to provide the best service for your clients while supporting your own professional growth.

The principles guiding my supervision practice include

Reflective practice
Trauma-informed
Solutions Focused Coaching
Confidentiality
Open communication

Creating a psychologically and culturally safe, supportive environment
Tailoring supervision to your experience level
Resource sharing
Ongoing evaluation of our work together

My Theoretical Framework

I draw on a range of clinical models that I have trained and worked in over the past 3 decades, including systemic relationship therapy, schema therapy, EMDR, ACT, trauma informed practice, mindfulness and psychological first aid. I also incorporate concepts from coaching, CBT and psychodynamic approaches, offering an eclectic person centred-approach to counselling and supervision.

Setting Up External Supervision

Contact me now for a free 15-minute initial phone consultation. This gives us a chance to discuss your professional needs and expectations and determine if I am the right fit for you.

To schedule a call or to make an appointment, please click here to contact me or email melinda@person2personconsulting.com.

Experience the difference.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between clinical supervision and management supervision?

Clinical supervision focuses on support, reflection, and skills development, while the primary function of line- management supervision is administration and quality assurance. As an external supervisor, our sessions are confidential and generally I find that supervisees feel freer to talk openly about areas that they are struggling in in their work.

Is clinical supervision like counselling?

Clinical supervision is not the same as counselling, although it provides support and may involve debriefing. I am there to support you through any rough patches in your work and also to ensure that our sessions stay focused on your professional development.

How does it all work? e.g. session frequency, time, online or face to face?

Supervision sessions are typically scheduled every four weeks, and I offer a regular day and time to ensure consistency. Supervision sessions are 55 mins. I primarily offer online video sessions but can provide in-person sessions for organisations in Sydney. Most of my online supervisees are from Melbourne, where I practiced for 13 years.

What do I talk about in supervision?

Each session is different. Every supervisee is unique and will use supervision in different ways. Some people bring an agenda with topics to discuss, others come with a general idea of something they want to explore. This could include:

client communication issues.
complex cases.
the client population.
common theme/s that keeps arising.
organisational issues.
debriefing about a distressing situation.
trauma-informed practice concepts.
work-life balance.
managing workload pressures and time management.
questions about the impact of trauma or mental health on yourself.
subject matter expertise topics in mental health and trauma.
mental health case discussion.

What are the benefits of group supervision ?

External Group supervision supports administrative task supervision as it:

creates time for reflection on specific cases and issues and frees up line managers to focus on administration and quality control in task supervision.
assists participants to develop reflective skills that improve clinical and casework skills.
helps participants focus on responding thoughtfully to client issues, drawing out differences between reaction and response, which creates a greater sense of containment.
provides informal debriefing to explore personal reactions to complex issues, which enhances wellbeing and increases longevity and sustainability in the field and reduces the likelihood of burnout, leading to EAP, Workcover or staff turnover.
builds team communication and cohesion.
provides elements of professional development through psychoeducation, related to specific client cases, and sharing of the team’s expertise and knowledge.
provides cross communication within a transparent framework that all participants agree to.

Thank you for the group supervision that you provided. I found it to be a stimulating way of reflecting on my work and practice while also devising practical strategies and solutions for issues that arose. The balance of individual and group supervision was an ideal way to learn from the experiences of my colleagues while incorporating those learnings into my ways of working. John, Vic Red Cross 2015

How can I use clinical supervision as a manager?

I provide monthly leadership supervision (in the same monthly format as clinical supervision) or in an advanced consultation to address a specific issue over 6-8 sessions. See the section on Leadership and Workplace Consultation for further information on leadership supervision and leadership consultation.

What are your fees?

My fees align with the AASW recommended schedule and are reviewed annually. Discounts are available for private fee-paying supervisees, and I do not charge GST. My current clinical supervision rate is $240 (or $220 for privately paying individuals). Please contact me if you would like to discuss group supervision fees.

What happens in the first supervision session?

In your first supervision session, we’ll explore what brought you to supervision, your professional background that informs your work approach as well as your strengths, competencies, and areas for development to determine what you would like to achieve through ongoing supervision sessions.

Can you support me through the mental health accreditation process?

Yes, I have supervised social workers working through the mental health accreditation process. I provide a place to talk through cases, provide guidance on where your work fits with focused psychological strategies and sign off on your final supervision document but do not provide specific advice on the AASW process.

Can supervision help me establish my private practice?

While I only offer clinical supervision to discuss clinical and professional practice issues, I do provide workplace consultation, using a short- term focused coaching and consultancy approach to support mental health practitioners establishing their private practice. This provides support and motivation to reflect on your business ideas and develop your own strategies for business development. I don’t provide business advice but may suggest some helpful resources.