DOMAIN 4: SECONDARY TRAUMATIC STRESS–INFORMED SUPERVISION
Item 8
Strategies for Supervisors:
- It is critical that supervisors take the time to recognize their own individual experiences and how their identities shape how they are impacted by trauma exposure in the workplace. They also need to think about how this impacts the way in which they conduct supervision and connect with staff and to be open to continually monitoring these impacts.
- Reflect upon the following questions:
- How have culture, race, historical trauma, systemic oppression, and/or implicit bias impacted you and your response to work-related trauma exposure?
- In what ways are you similar to your team members and in what ways are you different?
- How do these differences impact your relationships and interactions with team members?
- Have you assumed similarities or differences that may not be present based on external factors (e.g., both of you are of the same racial category or similar educational background)?
- What are some strategies that you have used for addressing these differences?
- Build intentional self-awareness regarding implicit biases and issues of privilege and oppression.
Implementation Resources:
Assessments
- “Self-Assessment of Culture in Regard to Privilege: Hot Spots, Hidden Spots, and Soft Spots,” a special resource from NCTSN that allows individuals to assess the power and privilege they hold in their different identities.
- Harvard Implicit Association Tests (IATs) measure attitudes and beliefs related to gender, ethnicity, race, age, etc., that people may be unwilling or unable to report.
Fact Sheets
- From the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the “Guidelines for Authentic Conversations About Race” is a two-page fact sheet with suggestions about how to have productive and authentic conversation about race.
Publications
- “Diversity Toolkit: A Guide to Discussing Identity, Power, and Privilege,” from the University of Southern California Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. This toolkit includes activities that you can do with staff and is designed to educate and build self-awareness particularly in environments where there may be a lack of productive discussion about diversity and the role of identity.
Websites/Apps/Posts
- “The Psychology of Radical Healing,” a post by Helen Neville, et al., defines radical healing, how it is different from conventional healing, and five ways people of color and indigenous people can cultivate radical healing.
Strategies for Supervisors:
- Build intentional self-awareness regarding implicit biases and issues of privilege and oppression
- Increase cultural knowledge:
- Increase understanding of the impact of institutionalized racism, white supremacy, and colonization
- Improve knowledge of bilingualism, biculturalism, and cross-cultural communication
- Remain attuned and present to supervisee’s experience
- Establish sensitive and brave relationships with supervisees so issues of power differential, privilege, racism, and systems of oppression can be discussed transparently and respectfully
- Directly address diversity factors that may be crucial in terms of establishing trust in the supervisory process
- Focus on discovery (embracing diversity challenges as opportunities for learning and growth) rather than the other Five “D’s of Difference”: denial, defensiveness, devaluing, distancing, and discovery (Harrell, 2014).
Implementation Resources:
Fact Sheets
- “How to Talk Effectively About Racism,” a fact sheet developed for the “Race Inside and Outside of Therapy Room” workshop delivered by Dr. Ken Hardy at the Psychotherapy Network Symposium in 2015.
Select Action Plan to begin to organize and implement next steps.