Clinical Supervision

How many times have you heard it when you tell someone you are in the helping profession? “That’s nice.” or “That must be very rewarding.”  Our work may not be a great conversation starter, but we know that the work we do is more than nice. It is vital. And not for the faint-hearted.

I believe that there are several key elements that underlie a lasting and effective career in helping people.  One is a solid professional foundation grounded in the integration of theory and practice; in a critical analysis of the conditions that help-seekers labor under; and in ongoing reflection and cultivation of self-awareness. The second element is good colleagues and mentors. Isolation serves no one. Colleagues and mentors nudge us toward a broader horizon of hope and perspective for our clients and our practice.  They encourage us to be both brave and kind to ourselves. With 28 years of social work practice under my belt and the benefit of advanced training, I am excited to lend that experience to fellow practitioners through clinical supervision.

I have field-instructed interns and supervised Masters-level social workers for over twenty years.  I offer practice wisdom that comes with a career in New York City-based youth-and-family-serving non-profits, encompassing a range of practice from community organizing to group work to clinical work to administration and supervision.   I have completed a 5-year advanced certification in couples and family therapy. My clinical approach draws on multiple theoretical foundations includes systems theory, narrative therapy, feminist theory, structural approaches and the Ackerman Relational Approach.  I am committed to a problem-solving process in supervision that emphasizes asking questions over offering advice. I advocate grounding in an ethical approach to practice that is strengths-based and trauma-informed; centers awareness of the dynamics of power in the therapeutic relationship and cultivates the development of critical consciousness of structural oppressions including racism. I am prepared to bring non-judgment along with gentle encouragement to go towards areas of confusion and fear that affect your practice.

One of the people I have supervised writes, “Rob has supervised me for nearly 12 years while I’ve run a small clinical program dealing with families and child welfare in East New York, Brooklyn.  Throughout this time, Rob has been consistent, thoughtful, insightful and tremendous in his support. He is wise enough to know when to contribute and adept at maintaining a genuine presence.”  I look forward to exploring how I can support you in accomplishing what you entered the field to do, and doing so as your authentic self.