Supervision and containment in community clinic contexts : a study of trainee clinical psychologists' experiences.
Year: 2009
Type: dissertation
Abstract: This study conceptualises the workings of supervision within a South African \ncommunity clinic setting, focusing specifically on trainees’ experiences of work \nand supervision in such contexts. Training and working in community contexts \nhas become increasingly important in the field of clinical psychology in South \nAfrica. Multiple and varied challenges face trainees learning and working in these \ncontexts. The experience may evoke overwhelming emotional responses for \ntrainees. Supervision can play an important role in offering support and providing \na reflective space for trainees, thus helping to render their experiences \nmanageable and meaningful. A qualitative research design was used in this \nstudy to explore the experiences of trainee psychologists learning and working at \na community clinic in Johannesburg as a component of their clinical psychology \nMasters training. Six past clinical psychology trainees from the University of the \nWitwatersrand were interviewed in order to gain understanding of their \nexperiences of work and supervision from their own perspectives. What emerged \nfrom analysis of the interview material was a rich description of the community \nclinic and the challenges trainees are faced with in working there. The impact of \nbeing a new therapist within the environment was an area commonly discussed \nin interviews. Most significantly, the importance of supervision within the context \nwas highlighted, with interviewees focusing on the need for containment and a \nspace to think. Bearing these ideas in mind, the study draws on psychodynamic \ntheory, particularly that of Wilfred R. Bion, to help conceptualise the workings of \nsupervision in such a context. The study illustrates that considerable and \nmeaningful work and learning can be done in less than ideal circumstances.
Author: Nicola Revington
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W109704376