CLINICAL SUPERVISION

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Application form for approved supervisor in Word format - Please TYPE in your answers on this form as handwritten applications and references may not be accepted

Introduction

The delivery of a sufficient quantity of high quality Clinical Supervision is central to the Play Therapy profession, its members and the general public. This section clarifies and defines all aspects of the British Association of Play Therapists’ Clinical Supervision requirements.

Play Therapists are required to receive regular clinical supervision of their Play Therapy practice. Supervision is governed by the BAPT Ethical Basis for Good Practice in Play Therapy and the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirement. The standards and requirements contained within this section have been developed and produced by the BAPT National Executive Committee and in consultation with Course Leaders and a representative sample of the BAPT membership.

Members need to take cognisance of the BAPT Code of Ethics and Practice regarding anti-discriminatory practice, and reflect this in their own practice, training, and supervision.

Clinical Supervision requirement

The Ethical Basis for Good Practice in Play Therapy states:

"All Play Therapists, including Supervisors, are required to receive on-going, appropriate, formal and regular supervision independently of their managerial relationships.

"Supervisors have a responsibility to maintain the good practice of Supervisees and to protect clients from harm and bad practice.

"Supervision must be provided by an appropriately qualified and experienced Play Therapist, except where no such Play Therapist exists in the geographical region. In such circumstances the Play Therapist must receive supervision from an appropriately qualified and experienced Child Therapist.

"Supervision must involve face to face contact, except in circumstances where physical distance between the Play Therapist and an available Supervisor precludes such contact.

"Play Therapists must receive supervision adequate to maintaining their level of competency, functioning and good practice.”

British Association of Play Therapists (2002)

Definitions

Clinical Supervision in Play Therapy is defined as:

"A formal and mutually agreed relationship between two Play Therapists where the supervisor is a significantly more experienced and competent Play Therapist than the supervisee. The aim of this supervision is to monitor, develop and support the supervisee’s Play Therapy practice. This supervision will be independent of all managerial relationships.”

A Play Therapy hour is defined as:

"Any one clock hour that involves any action directly relating to the delivery of Play Therapy, including Play Therapy sessions, assessment, parent/carer contact, received supervision and reviews. This does not include any indirect actions, such as line management, supervisory practice, staff meetings, professional liaison etc.”

Type of Clinical Supervisor

Full Members

The requirement for Full members is defined as follows:

Qualification: Clinical supervision must be provided by a BAPT qualified Play Therapist. Play Therapy qualifications not accredited by BAPT are not accepted. Clinical supervision of Full members should be provided by a Full member of BAPT. Where BAPT full members are not available to supervise due to geographical area, exceptions can be made - please see geographic location section below.

Clinical experience: Clinical supervisors will hold significantly greater experience of Play Therapy practice than their supervisee. Other professional experience is not considered appropriate unless it relates specifically to qualified child therapy practice. ‘Significantly greater experience’ is defined as a minimum of two years greater experience than the supervisee. Two years must include on-going supervised Play Therapy practice and therefore include a minimum of 200 post-qualified completed Play Therapy hours.

Geographic location: Where no BAPT Full members are available for supervision, members may seek other appropriately qualified and experienced child therapists. This will include one of the following:

  1. ACP/UKCP registered Child Psychotherapist or Psychotherapist
  2. HPC registered Art Therapist
  3. BADTh registered dramatherapist
  4. BPS Chartered Clinical Psychologist
  5. UKCP registered Family Therapist
  6. FRCP registered Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist

No other qualifications are acceptable. The above professionals must have also completed a minimum of 250 post-qualified therapy hours with children and/or young people. Professionals contained in the above list who have not completed this number of client hours will not be accepted as Supervisors.

NOTE: Only when there are no qualified Play Therapists available in the member’s geographic area will the above professionals be accepted. Therefore, BAPT members in the South East of England are significantly less likely to be supervised by other professionals.

Student Members

The requirement for student members is defined as follows:

Qualification: Clinical supervision must be provided by a BAPT qualified Play Therapist. Play Therapy qualifications not accredited by BAPT are not accepted. Clinical supervision of student members must be provided by a full member of BAPT.

Clinical experience: Clinical supervisors will hold significantly greater experience of Play Therapy practice than their supervisee. Other professional experience is not considered appropriate unless it relates specifically to qualified child therapy practice. ‘Significantly greater experience’ is defined as a minimum of three years greater experience than the supervisee. Three years must include on-going supervised Play Therapy practice and include a minimum of 300 completed post-qualified Play Therapy hours and 100 completed supervisory practice hours.

Format of Clinical Supervision

Telephone/Webcam usage: Clinical supervision will always involve face-to-face supervision, except where geographic location significantly precludes this. In such circumstances, telephone or webcam supervision will be accepted. Email and paper only formats are not accepted as part of supervision. Telephone and ‘webcam’ supervision must be supplemented with audio, video and/or written details of the supervisee’s clinical practice.

Group Supervision: Group supervision will not include more than four supervisees. Group supervision will be calculated by the addition of one half of the required supervision i.e. 1.5 group supervision hours are equivalent to 1 individual supervision hour. 3 group supervision hours are equivalent to 2 individual supervision hours.

Peer Supervision: Peer supervision is only accepted for qualified Play Therapists who have completed a minimum of 5000 Play Therapy hours. Peer supervision must be used in addition to individual or group supervision; Play Therapists cannot only be supervised through peer supervision. This mode of supervision will only include members of similar experience – lesser experienced members cannot receive supervision as part of a peer supervision group.

Legal responsibilities of the Clinical Supervisor

The Clinical Supervisor has a responsibility and duty of care to the supervisee, the supervisee’s clients and to the supervisee’s employer. The Clinical Supervisor monitors, supports and advises the supervisee regarding all aspects of their Play Therapy practice and, if appropriate, personal issues that should be taken to personal therapy.

The Clinical Supervisor’s duty of care* towards the supervisee will include:

  • Not engaging in exploitative or unethical conduct towards the supervisee;

  • Obtaining informed consent or agreeing a contract for Clinical Supervision with the Supervisee (if appropriate, consent will also be sought from the Supervisee’s Employer).

  • Acting within limits of own training, expertise and competence;

  • Providing selection and skilled use of methods appropriate to the Supervisee’s situation;

  • Not harming the Supervisee as a result of physical or psychological methods employed;

  • Not giving inaccurate or damaging advice;

  • Clarifying and maintaining agreed or employer’s limits to confidentiality;

  • Making appropriate referral to another Clinical Supervisor or agency when required;

  • Ending Clinical Supervision in a way consistent with Supervisee’s best interests.

*Based on Jenkins, P. (1997) Counselling, Psychotherapy and the Law. London: Sage Publications.

The legal responsibilities of the Clinical Supervisor are:

Towards Clients:

  • Duty to maintain confidentiality;

  • Right to break confidentiality in the public interest.

Towards Supervisee:

  • Duty of care;

  • Duty to maintain confidentiality;

  • Right to break confidentiality in the public interest;

  • Compliance with terms and conditions of supervision contract with Supervisee;

  • Provision of service quality consistent with consumer legislation.

Towards supervisee’s employer:

  • Duty of Care;

  • Duty to maintain confidentiality;

  • Right to break confidentiality in the public interest;

  • Provision of service quality consistent with consumer legislation.

General:

  • Compliance with Data Protection Act (1998);

  • Compliance with legislation against discrimination;

  • Compliance with Children Act (2004);

  • Compliance with Mental Health Act (1983);

  • Compliance with Children’s National Service Framework (2004).

Duties of the Clinical Supervisor

Towards Clients:

  • Ensure clients have been appropriately selected according to the Supervisee’s experience, competencies and ability;

  • Ensure Supervisee’s practice and conduct conforms to BAPT Ethical Basis for Good Practice in Play Therapy.


Towards Supervisee:

  • Undertake Clinical Supervision appropriate to the Supervisor’s experience, competencies and ability;

  • Undertake supervision training and any other related professional development activities that enhance the quality of supervisory practice;

  • Facilitate on-going supervisory relationship;

  • Offer clear and honest information regarding supervisor’s Play Therapy and supervisory experience and training;

  • Provide clear contract regarding fees and services provided in Clinical Supervision;

  • Advise, guide and monitor Supervisee’s practice and conduct in all areas of Play Therapy practice;

  • Support the Supervisee;

  • Ensure Supervisee’s practice and conduct conforms to BAPT Ethical Basis for Good Practice in Play Therapy;

  • Ensure Supervisee’s practice is competent, ethical and appropriate;

  • Facilitate Supervisee’s learning and awareness of strengths and weaknesses;

  • Facilitate Supervisee’s personal and professional development;

  • Enable Supervisee to delineate between supervisory issues and personal therapy issues.

Towards Supervisee’s employer:

  • Acknowledge and respect accountability of Supervisee’s employer for service provision;

  • Consult Supervisee’s employer over serious causes for concern and breaches of the BAPT Ethical Basis for Good Practice in Play Therapy;

  • Ensure Supervisee’s practice and conduct conforms to BAPT Ethical Basis for Good Practice in Play Therapy.

Towards BAPT:

  • Undertake Clinical Supervision appropriate to the Supervisor’s experience, competencies and ability;

  • Undertake supervision training and any other related professional development activities that enhance the quality of supervisory practice;

  • Ensure supervisory practice and conduct conforms to BAPT Ethical Basis for Good Practice in Play Therapy;

  • Ensure supervisory practice and conduct conforms to BAPT Equal Opportunities Statement and Policy;

  • Consult Supervisee’s employer over serious causes for concern and breaches of the BAPT Ethical Basis for Good Practice in Play Therapy.

General:

  • Ensure supervisory notes and records conform to Data Protection Act (1998) and Freedom of Information Act (2004), and that practice/conduct conforms to Equal Opportunities legislation, Children Act (2004) and Mental Health Act (1983).

Context of Clinical Supervision

Clinical supervision will be independent of all managerial relationships and will not involve any multiple relationships with the Supervisee.

Clinical Supervisors’ practice will fully comply with the BAPT Equal Opportunities Policy Statement and Policy. With regard to this policy, Clinical Supervisors are responsible for ensuring that they:

  1. Are aware of relevant equal opportunities legislation and how it applies to their particular supervisory practice;
  2. Regularly review and evaluate the ways in which they undertake their work in order to ensure that standards of practice are being applied fairly to all Supervisees;
  3. Provide access to review and evaluation procedures and results.

Delivery of Clinical Supervision

The delivery of Clinical Supervision will include the following:

  1. Completion of a supervisory contract that includes services offered, fees and other relevant details;
  2. Regular review and evaluation of supervisory services;
  3. Acknowledgement and sensitivity of the power dynamics between Supervisor and Supervisee;
  4. Acknowledgement and sensitivity of issues concerning difference and diversity;
  5. Full compliance with the BAPT Ethical Basis for Good Practice in Play Therapy;
  6. Full compliance with the Data Protection Act (1998) and related legislation;
  7. Supervisory practice will reflect the Supervisor’s theoretical and philosophical orientation;
  8. Supervisors will enshrine the BAPT core competencies;
  9. Acknowledgement and sensitivity of the dynamic parallel process between the supervised cases and the supervision of the cases.

Complaints issues

If a complaint is upheld about the Supervisor’s Practice as a Play Therapist, and/or as a Supervisor, BAPT may withdraw indefinitely or for a period, that person’s registration as a Supervisor and they will need to make a re-application to become a Supervisor in the future.

Quantity of Clinical Supervision

BAPT Full members
The BAPT CPD Portfolio requires qualified and experienced Play Therapists to receive different amounts of supervision in relation to the amount of clients they see:

Category A: 1-5 children = 4 hours supervision in any 12month period

Category B: 6-10 children = 8 hours supervision in any 12month period

Category C: 11-15 children = 12 hours supervision in any 12month period

Category D: 16-20 children = 18 hours supervision in any 12month period

It is the responsibility of the Play Therapist to inform the workplace of the need for supervision and to ensure that it is sufficient to meet their own and their clients’ needs. Complex cases usually need more liaison, record-keeping and possibly, supervision time.

Addendum: The situation where supervisors are not directly working with children, but whom wish to maintain full membership:
'Supervisiors and managers of services not practising play therapy but providing supervision should undergo clinical supervision in line with agency policy. This should be in line with BAPT Code of Ethics'.

Probationary one year following qualification
The BAPT CPD Portfolio requires newly qualified Play Therapists within a probationary period of one year practicing as a Play Therapist will require a MINIMUM of 24 hours clinical supervision for their clinical Play Therapy practice, or a 6:1 ratio of session hours to supervision hours.
It is the responsibility of the Play Therapist to inform the workplace of the need for minimum supervision hours.
It is the responsibility of the newly qualified Play Therapist to ensure that there is sufficient time allowed to develop reflective practice.

Student Members
Students completing the 100 clinical hour requirement (BAPT Training and Education Sub-Committee, 2002) are required to complete 50 clinical supervision hours. Students under this requirement will receive 1 clinical supervision hour for every 2 clinical practice hours (1:2)

Supervisors for Clinical Supervisory practice

BAPT full members who clinically supervise Play Therapists are required to receive supervision of their supervisory practice.

Qualification: Clinical Supervision of Supervisory practice must be provided by a qualified therapist/counsellor who is an approved/accredited Supervisor by their professional body. Such supervisors should be one of the following registered professionals:

  1. BAPT approved supervisor
  2. ACP registered Child Psychotherapist
  3. HPC registered Art Therapist
  4. BADTh registered dramatherapist
  5. BACP Counsellor
  6. UKCP Psychotherapist
  7. BPS Clinical Psychologist

Supervisory experience: Clinical supervisors of supervisory practice will hold significantly greater experience of supervisory practice than the Play Therapy Clinical Supervisor. ‘Significantly greater experience’ is defined as a minimum of two years greater experience than the Play Therapy Clinical Supervisor. Two years must include on-going supervisory practice and should include a minimum of 150 completed supervisory practice hours.

Format of Supervision of Clinical Supervisory practice

Telephone/Webcam usage: Clinical supervision of supervisory practice will always involve face-to-face supervision, except where geographic location significantly precludes this. In such circumstances, telephone or webcam clinical supervision of supervisory practice will be accepted. Email and paper only formats are not accepted as part of this supervision. Telephone and ‘webcam’ supervision will be supplemented with audio, video and/or written details of clinical practice.

Group Supervision: Group supervision of supervisory practice will not include more than four Clinical Supervisees. Group supervision will be calculated by the addition of one half of the required supervision i.e. 1.5 group supervision hours are equivalent to 1 individual supervision hour. 3 group supervision hours are equivalent to 2 individual supervision hours.

Peer supervision: Peer supervision of supervisory practice is only accepted for Clinical Supervisors who have completed a minimum of five years on-going supervisory practice and who have completed a minimum of 500 supervision hours. This mode of supervision will only include members of similar experience – lesser experienced members cannot receive supervision as part of a peer supervision group.

A list of approved supervisors is available from the BAPT website – click here

(Updated January 2013)