In this paper, we articulate foundational concepts for a supervision framework from a critical postcolonial perspective: intersectionality, power, and relational safety in context. We identify opportunities, challenges, and dilemmas encountered when engaging with students and colleagues in examining dimensions of privilege and oppression in supervision-of-supervision and supervision of clinical work conducted by clinicians in training. We highlight experiences of supervisees and supervisors of color throughout the paper, bringing together our own voices as a supervisor of color and White supervisor via our shared postcolonial lens to advance dialogue among scholars of all ethnicities. We also differentiate our experiences, purposefully centering the voices of supervisors of color to further a critical postcolonial agenda.

We contend that the field of family therapy is undergoing a notable shift from second- to third-order thinking. We offer theoretical support and examples to demonstrate how third-order thinking provides a framework for integrating heightened sociocultural attunement into family therapy practice. We discuss the importance of third-order thinking relative to being prepared to invite families into third-order change. Finally, we offer a case example to show specific guidelines for third-order practice.

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Although family therapy literature reflects an increased consideration of cultural and contextual issues, there is little guidance on how to address intersecting forms of oppression and privilege within the supervisory system. In this article, we show the importance of critical consciousness in addressing these issues. Additionally, we provide concrete suggestions and tools for developing critical consciousness through supervision. The practices and tools we provide resulted from ongoing and deliberate discussions of an inquiry group that consisted of supervisor candidates and supervisors of supervision. Our goal in writing this article is to describe the strategies that we have found to be crucial in becoming more competent supervisors and therapists.

This study explores the experiences of graduate students who completed one of two international courses facilitated by family therapy faculty in a U.S. master's-level counseling psychology department. Participants reported that international courses were personally and professionally transformative. Spending time in a foreign country gave them opportunities to learn from cultural differences, ultimately increasing the social and global awareness required for multicultural sensitivity. Experiential learning, reflection, and dialogue resulted in raised critical consciousness among participants. In this article, we discuss the transformational learning processes embedded in international courses and the potential benefits of these experiences on the development of multicultural sensitivity in family therapists and counselors in training.