Title of Workshop: Taking the Supervisory Relationship to the Next Level: Clinical Supervision in the Changing World
Friday, October 13, 2023
12:30 – 3:30 p.m. (3 CE Hours)
Presenter: Curt Widhalm, M.A., LMFT

Workshop Description:
Clinical supervision is a robust examination into many factors that affect both client outcomes and supervisee personal and professional development. When clinical supervisors need to balance the legal requirements of licensing boards, workplace regulations and requirements, and administrative tasks, supervisee development can be pushed to the side. These demands for attention can leave supervisors relying on only a handful of tools that do not look into the greater context of the primary goals of supervision. This workshop aims to give clinical supervisors the tools needed to attend to all of these goals while bringing in the greater context of today’s society.

This workshop and model being presented has built-in stages to address not only the diversity of the client, the supervisee, and the supervisor, but also the wider context of the place of therapy (the individual practice or agency), the society in which it occurs (rural/urban, national news, etc.), but also extends to adding practices to clinical supervision that go beyond one-to-one tasks with clients and looking at strategies for working with systemic racism, patriarchy, and organizational hurdles.

Educational Goals:

1. Expand knowledge of the interrelated relational pieces of clinical supervision that impact a supervisee’s approach to delivering quality therapy to clients.
2. Evaluate the tasks of each Eye of supervision toward greater supervisee development.
3. Reflect on the impact that each Eye has on supervision.

After Successfully Completing This Course, Supervisors Will Be Able To:

1. Identify the impact of four different contextual variables that affect a supervisee’s ability to practice successfully with clients.
2. Explain three variables that affect the supervisor/supervisee relationship.
3. Formulate three ways that diversity affects the supervisor/supervisee/client relationship.

Presenter Bio:
Curt Widhalm is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and CAMFT-Certified Supervisor in the Los Angeles area. He is the owner of Real Honest Therapy, a group practice where he has been supervising for over 10 years. Curt is a lecturer in Law & Ethics at California State University-Northridge and has previously served as a Subject Matter Expert for the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. He is also the co-host of “The Modern Therapist’s Survival Guide” podcast. 

Title of Workshop: Challenges in Supervision (Part 1 of 2)
Friday, October 13, 2023
3:45 – 5:15 p.m. (1.5 CE Hours)
Presenter: Helen G. Meek, M.A., LMFT

Workshop Description:
This course, “Challenges in Supervision,” is designed as an opportunity for course participants to present real-life challenges in their role as a clinical supervisor. Participants will be asked to identify a challenge they faced. The number of topics accepted will depend on the size of the workshop. In breakout groups course participants will evaluate the nature of the challenge, relevant legal, ethical, and competence issues, and how best to proceed with the challenge. The benefit is the opportunity to explore with others “How do I think through this kind of challenge, how do I handle it?” For course participants who are new to their supervisory role the course is an opportunity to hear about real-life challenges that may emerge in their future.

The instructor will provide an example of a real-life supervisory challenge from her experience as a supervisory mentor. Participants are given a working guideline on how to think through the challenge. Participants will be divided into Breakout Groups of 5-6 individuals and report back after their discussion. Subsequent topics will be addressed in the same way: identification of the challenge, an opportunity to discuss the topic with other participants in a breakout group, and a report back to the larger group on what they decided.

Educational Goals:

1. Provide a consultation experience for supervisors.
2. Describe situations that were complex and uncomfortable for them. Situations they did not expect or had no prior experience with. Situations that were not like examples given in their formal training as supervisors.
3. Opportunity to delve into the ethical and professional decision-making guidelines they have been taught. And sharpen their understanding of clinical competence.

After Successfully Completing This Course, Supervisors Will Be Able To:

1. Identify one legal or ethical issue in each challenge topic discussed.
2. Identify one example of clinical competence that is missing in each challenge topic discussed.
3. Describe one step a supervisor can take to support positive change in a supervisee.

Presenter Bio: Helen G. Meek, LMFT has taught workshops on supervision for over twenty years. She is a CAMFT Supervised Supervisor and AAMFT Approved Supervisor. She mentors supervision candidates for both organizations. She has served twice on the CAMFT Supervision Committee and is a recipient of the AAMFT, California Division Mentor Award (2014). She currently teaches online for AAMFT. Meek has been in private practice since 1987 and currently provides therapy via telehealth.

Title of Workshop: Live Supervision - Guidance for Supervisors
Saturday, October 14, 2023
8:00 – 11:00 a.m. (3 CE Hours)
Presenter: Kathy Langsam, M.A., LMFT

Workshop Description:
While Live Supervision for MFT Trainees and Associates has been utilized for over 60 years, most supervisors receive little formal training on the topic. This 3-hour training will cover various models of Live Supervision, including supervisor’s roles, types of interventions, impact on the supervisor/supervisee relationship and impact on the therapeutic relationship. Legal and ethical issues will be discussed as well as technical considerations of the various models of Live Supervision.

Competent supervision addresses the broad range of diversity dimensions (e.g., age, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, language, socio-economic status, oppression and privilege). This workshop will highlight the importance of understanding and factoring in the multiple identities of each individual: client(s), supervisee, supervisor and differing worldviews. Including adding the nuance of live supervision into the mix, in particular, how the supervisory power differential may impact the client(s) supervisee interactions and supervision interactions/ relationship.

Educational Goals:

1. Demonstrate a working knowledge of Live Supervision, including: in the room, behind the mirror; Remote Live Supervision/Video Conference via one-way mirror; Online Live via Telehealth-Virtual one-way mirror.
2. Identify the legal and ethical issues effecting Live Supervision.
3. Describe supervisor interventions for a Live session, including effects on the supervisory relationship and therapeutic relationship.

After Successfully Completing This Course, Supervisors Will Be Able To:

1. Identify 3 supervisor roles in Live sessions
2. Identify 5 Live Supervision strategies, including advantages & disadvantages for each.
3. Identify 3 actions to prepare client(s) for Live session.
4. Identify 5 actions to prepare supervisee for Live Supervision.
5. Describe key legal and practical concerns that are relevant in providing Live Supervision for each model.

Presenter Bio:
Kathy Langsam is a licensed Marriage Family Therapist. She has supervised and supported Marriage Family Trainees, Associates and licensed staff in her various roles as Director of Clinical Services, Clinical Director, Director of Training and Internship Program for over twenty years in community mental health throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.

Kathy holds a Masters in Counseling Psychology, with a double emphasis in Family Therapy and Child/Adolescent Treatment from John F. Kennedy University. She is a Certified Supervisor by the California Association of Marriage Family Therapists and she facilitates consultation groups with supervisors. Kathy has been an Adjunct Faculty at numerous graduate programs in the San Francisco Bay Area. Courses taught: Psychopathology; Community Mental Health; Evidence-Based Practice; Special Issues in Family Treatment; Introduction to Applied Psychology; Individual and Family Life Transitions Counseling; Legal & Ethical Issues in Trauma and Practicum.

Title of Workshop: Supervision, How to Make it a Treat and Not a Trick
Saturday, October 14, 2023
12:00 – 3:00 p.m. (3 CE Hours)
Presenter: Bindu Khurana-Brown, M.A., LMFT

Workshop Description:
This course will focus on the innate variability present within the supervisory relationship that can lend itself to “tricky” supervision issues. Supervision can appear to have the same structure of a therapeutic environment yet the overarching goals must differ and drawing the line between supervisor and therapist can be challenging. This training will have attendees explore constructs of supervision through a combination of lecture and vignette based discussions. When done correctly, supervision can be as impactful to the supervisor as the supervisee and this training will explore how to make it a treat for all parties.

Issues of diversity are central themes within supervision so their inclusion will be prominent throughout the presentation. The topic of tricky situations innately will have themes of expressions and opinions that can differ from the supervisor. Diversity will be celebrated for how it provides unique opportunities for pre-licensed individuals as well as explored as a touch point for countertransference.

Educational Goals:

1. Attendees will integrate skills taught during this presentation to remain mindful of factors that could become challenging to manage in the supervisory relationship.
2. This course is intended to build upon foundational material related to the provision of supervision for ongoing supervisory skill development.

After Successfully Completing This Course, Supervisors Will Be Able To:

1. Attendees will identify at least three (3) variables that can result in risky supervisory discussions.
2. Attendees will identify four (4) commonly occurring situations in supervision that can fracture the supervisory relationship.
3. Attendees will discuss the benefits of inclusion of theoretical orientation to the supervisory design.
4. Attendees will review the provision of supervision across different supervisory units and three (3) commonalities.

Presenter Bio:
Bindu has been working in the mental health field across varying populations since receiving her master’s degree in Marital and Family Therapy from the University of San Diego in 2005. Following licensure in 2008, she has taken on teaching and supervision of trainees and interns. Her supervisory skills and experience have been honed through related clinical roles including her current role overseeing both a crisis stabilization unit and community response team. She brings in the fundamentals of diversity and client experience to provide a comprehensive supervisory environment.