Cultivating self-compassion within the supervision relationship

Insights Towards Trauma-Informed Nursing Supervision: An Integrative Literature Review and Thematic Analysis

Trauma-informed care (TIC) is an approach to healthcare practice that recognises the pervasiveness of trauma, and the deep and life-shaping impact this has on a person. The literature recognises the negative consequences of trauma both to the people who experience it, and the nurses who provide care for them. Professional supervision is an integral element of workforce wellbeing and practice development, and a largely unexplored avenue of support for those who deliver TIC. Strategies for delivery of TIC were clearly articulated in the background literature, however how professional supervision can support nurses who provide this was less obvious. The research aim was to explore the literature related to trauma-informed supervision in nursing to answer the question 'what skills and strategies can a supervisor use to support nurses who provide TIC in adult populations?'. An integrative review method was used and identified fifteen published articles for inclusion. These were then analysed using a reflexive thematic analysis. Literature all came from the allied health field, due to paucity of literature related to nursing. Analysis revealed three themes that were developed into an emotion-cognition-action sequence; create a safe supervisory relationship; facilitate TIC learning; and build resilience. Discussion noted the intersection of review findings with the Supervision Alliance Model and TIC framework, and where other skills may be integrated to inform a trauma-informed supervisor.

Comparing Presence and Absence of Initial In-Person Contact and Written Feedback in RE&CBT E-Supervision

This pilot study aims to analyze the effects of the presence and absence of initial in-person contact and written feedback in RE&CBT e-supervision, comparing it on the Supervisory Working Alliance Inventory, the Supervisor Satisfaction Questionnaire, and the Trainee Disclosure Scale. During a period of six months, five supervisees performed ten e-supervision divided into two groups, a control group that did only the initial meetings in-person and an experimental group in which two supervisees completed whole process online. Additionally, in the first five e-supervision, the supervisor reviewed an entire session with written feedback with an additional meeting for each group. In the last five e-supervision, the supervisor only partially reviewed client sessions during supervision. After ten e-supervision, an individual post-interview was conducted with each participant. This study's primary statistical method for calculating and combining effect sizes was Tarlow Baseline Corrected Tau and Open Meta Analyst software. Both groups scored above average on the first two scales, but the disclosure scale had highly irregular and inconsistent patterns. The combined qualitative and quantitative results suggest that novice therapists generally prefer to have their entire sessions reviewed with written feedback and that a single in-person contact is unlikely to influence e-supervision satisfaction and working alliance. Given that there are no adequately validated e-supervision models, this pilot study used a pilot model named Supported Model of Electronic Supervision (SMeS). This model showed potential, but it needs further testing on a larger sample with more clearly operationalized steps. This study experimentally supports the effectiveness of RE&CBT supervision for the first time.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10942-023-00505-2.

Self-compassion, coping strategies and gender differences in psychology, counselling and psychotherapy practitioners during COVID-19: Lessons learnt

Effective coping strategies can protect against the adverse effects of stress. This study investigated self-compassion's ability to predict approach and avoidance coping in psychology, counselling and psychotherapy practitioners (PCPPs) during COVID-19, and whether this differed between genders. To date, no research has investigated this relationship, despite positive associations being drawn in other populations. Three hundred and nineteen PCPPs completed an online survey including the Brief COPE and Self-Compassion Short Form. Self-compassion significantly predicted greater use of approach coping and reduced use of avoidance coping. The predictive ability of self-compassion was slightly better in female practitioners. Self-judgement arose as a prominent subscale of self-compassion across genders, increasing both approach and avoidance coping. Implications for future research and practice are discussed, concerning barriers to self-compassion and the requirement of therapeutic programmes and psychoeducation as a prerequisite for effective coping strategies in the PCPP population.