Current practices in clinical supervision in psychosocial oncology

Abstract

Purpose: Clinical supervision is a common pedagogical practice, but one that has received little scrutiny. This descriptive study examined the state of supervision in psycho-oncology in the United States. We were interested in learning more about how supervision is being conducted to better understand how training and clinical supervision can be improved in psycho-oncology. Design/Sample: Fifty-three psychosocial oncology mental health professionals completed an electronic survey. Methods: Participants were asked about their training in supervision, how they practice, what is unique about supervising in an oncology setting, and whether participants viewed their training as sufficient. Findings: Most respondents (50; 94.3%) had received some training in supervision; however, about half (28, 52.8%) reported that they had not received enough training to be an effective supervisor of trainees working with cancer patients. The majority (49, 92.5%) believed it is necessary to gain specific training to be an effective supervisor in oncology settings. In open-ended responses, participants shared what they found unique about supervising in psychosocial oncology; 4 themes emerged. These were the considerations of working in a medical setting, differences in the process and structure of therapy, deeper relationships with colleagues and patients, and the effect of clinical work on the therapist/supervisee. Conclusions/Implications: More than half of our sample of psychosocial oncology practitioners in the United States felt that they were inadequately prepared to supervise and believed it is necessary to pursue specific training in this area. Enhanced training in supervision should be offered because of the specialized demands of practicing in oncology settings.

Perspectives of postdoctoral fellows: A qualitative study of clinical supervision in psycho-oncology.

“…Psycho-oncology benefits from recognizing supervision as a keystone of clinical training. Unfortunately, too often supervisors are just expected to supervise, without the ongoing education, allocated time, or general support to ensure best practices (Taylor-Irwin & Kracen, 2021). Our findings further underscore the need for the field of psycho-oncology to elevate the practice of clinical supervision as a distinct, valuable competency.…”

“…In addition to the general developmental tasks of becoming a psychologist, supervision is responsible for helping trainees in psycho-oncology learn the specific clinical skills and interventions to succeed in oncology (Taylor-Irwin & Kracen, 2021). Among other skills, trainees learn how to work on multidisciplinary medical teams, cope with issues specific to cancer, respond to ethical medical dilemmas, and manage existential and end-of-life concerns (Hendrick & Hendrick, 2011).…”

“…Although clinical supervision is the most common pedagogical tool for psychology trainees in psycho-oncology, there is scarce research examining best practices and effectiveness. While supervisors themselves believe that the specialized training is necessary to provide competent supervision in psycho-oncology (Taylor-Irwin & Kracen, 2021), according to Hession and Habenicht’s (2020, p. 39) review, there are “no definitive answers as to what is distinctive and necessary for supervision or what extra training supervisors need in cancer care.” The lack of research is not unique to psycho-oncology but rather reflects the little attention paid to evaluating supervisory skills or competence across psychology (Bernard & Goodyear, 2014; Falender & Shafranske, 2013). Therefore, supervision research is needed to examine how supervisors can best train students and trainees in psycho-oncology.…”

The unmet need of psycho-oncology services for integrated cancer care in India: a review

“…Specific distress screening tools, intervention algorithms, the role of different therapies as well as medications in these patients as well as the respect for the religious and spiritual needs of patients with help of chaplains and similar staff are all being developed and evolved to improve patient experience and satisfaction with cancer care pathways. [29][30][31][32]…”