Trauma-informed Supervision through a Social Justice Lens

This workshop focuses on trauma-informed supervision through a social justice lens, an approach to supervision that begins with the personal and extends to the professional. Personal histories, identities, characteristics, and psychological experiences of supervisors, as well as structural and environmental conditions of the organization, are considered in supervision. This perspective promotes the role of the supervisor as a leader in establishing a culture within their team that is responsive to and inclusive of the positionalities and unique experiences of clients and colleagues. Supervisors are encouraged to remain vigilant in their commitment to social justice by leading their teams and organizations in achieving truly inclusive diversity.

Learning Objectives (Supervisory Best Practices):

  1. Draw upon social work values to enact commitment to social justice in the role of a leader within your organization
  2. Shape your interactions with supervisees by accounting for positionalities and unique experiences
  3. Partner with your supervisees to critically discuss the culture of the organization
  4. In supervision, reflect on implicit bias and how it impacts the supervisory relationship and work with clients
  5. Seek knowledge and consultation to better understand your positionality and the impact your identity has on the supervisory relationship
  6. Discuss with supervisees the applications of trauma-informed perspectives in supervision and practice