Neuroscience Insights That Inform Clinical Supervision

Abstract

This article makes links between neuroscience literature that helps to inform a clinical supervision relationship. There has been a beginning, but limited, application of neuroscience to clinical supervision; this article offers vignettes of supervisory dyads that illustrate how understanding right-hemisphere communications between the supervisor and supervisee can further a more complex understanding of the clinical processes that are being discussed in supervision. The article draws from supervision theory that has been conceptualized using relational theory and trauma theory. The article encourages supervisor and supervisee to pay heed to their bodily reactions when discussing clinical material. Individuals expose their right-hemisphere reactions to the content of the therapy and/or supervisory sessions through a variety of well-known behavioral manifestations, including facial expression, tone, and prosody of the voice; bodily manifestations of anxiety or “tightness” in the chest or stomach; and averted eye glance, to name a few. The vignettes describe supervisory dyads that deconstruct supervisee reactions in the face of working with neo-natal intensive care infants, suicidality, and trauma.

KEYWORDS:

• neuroscience
• supervision
• right-hemisphere communication
• trauma
• suicidality

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Dennis Miehls

Dennis Miehls is a professor at Smith College School for Social Work. He is chair of the Human Behavior Sequence. Dr. Miehls earned his BA from the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario; his MSW from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario; and his PHD from Smith College School for Social Work in Northampton, MA. Dr. Miehls has published extensively in the areas of trauma work, couple therapy, neurobiology, and supervision. In 2006, Dr. Miehls was named a Distinguished Practitioner by the National Academies of Practice in Social Work. He maintains a private psychotherapy practice in Northampton, MA. Dr. Miehls specializes in long- term psychotherapy with individuals and couples.