ABSTRACT
Play therapy supervisors provide space for supervisees to refine skills that help clients. The supervisor–supervisee dynamic has intersecting layers of hierarchy and privilege – including systems of power. Often, supervisors are advisors to supervisees and determine their career progression. This power reality leaves learners dependent on the supervisor’s clinical and ethical awareness. When a supervisee is from a marginalized background (e.g., race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ability), they experience added layers of discrimination and biases at the intersection of their identities. Supervisors must understand their own race, identities, and cultures: necessary components of cultural humility in clinical practice. Supervision can be an authentic space to discuss supervisee and client topics, when the learner feels safe. A social justice framework for mental health supervision allows for exploration of power dynamics, supervisor and supervisee self-reflection, and safety and nurturance of supervisees’ advocacy skills to support clients. Previous literature defined this as cross-cultural supervision; however, language is shifting toward creating supervisory relationships that explore equity, justice, humility, and deconstruction of supervision. This chapter lays the foundation for supervisors to discover and evaluate their implicit and explicit values and beliefs. Readers will explore how beliefs influence supervisor–supervisee interactions and gain skills for supervision.
