ABSTRACT

Art therapists are often motivated by multiple professional and personal reasons to obtain art therapy supervision throughout their career. This chapter informs students, new professionals, and even more seasoned supervisees how to distinguish effective practices to best receive supervision. Within the supervisory dynamic, a supervisee is encouraged to activate their agency and embrace a professional capacity for self-reflection. The benefits of a solid supervisory alliance are diverse and include the potential for ongoing mentorship, increasing clinical competency, space to routinely reframe mistakes as opportunities, and a chance to reduce burnout, as well as providing professional stability during high-stress periods and moments of self-doubt. Within this chapter, we name ideal supervisee qualities, suggest actionable items for getting the most out of supervision, and share how supervision differs during stages of your career. We also identify strategies on how to bring artmaking into the supervisory relationship. This chapter includes a vignette by the second author, a scenario for readers to consider, and arts-based supervision practice prompts.