In 2019, Beck Institute (BI) piloted a new group supervision model with the goal of making high quality clinical supervision in Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) more accessible and affordable. CBT Program Director Dr. Allen Miller supervised a group of clinicians from The Source, a mental wellness clinic in Egypt. Participants’ scores on the Cognitive Therapy Rating Scale-Revised (CTRS-R) were collected throughout the program and it was found that completion of group supervision resulted in significant improvement in the participants’ clinical skills.
Following the success of the pilot program, BI rolled out group supervision to a larger audience, making the program available to fully formed groups of 4-6 clinicians. One such group was a group of five clinicians from Relate Malaysia, a nonprofit organization that provides mental health services, education, and advocacy.
Prior to beginning their term, all five clinicians completed the self-directed on-demand course CBT in Practice. CBT in Practice was initially conceived as a preparatory course for group supervision, providing in-depth instruction on how CBT is currently practiced. The course includes an array of role plays demonstrating how to establish the therapeutic relationship, structure sessions, create action plans, and more. Importantly, CBT in Practice introduces trainees to the CTRS-R, and addresses how each element of a therapy session maps on to a corresponding item on the CTRS-R.
After completing the CBT in Practice course, the clinicians embarked on a term of ten group supervision sessions. Prior to each session, two group members submitted a therapy session recording for the group to review. Dr. Miller—and the other group members—reviewed each recording and rated it using the CTRS-R. The supervision sessions were spent discussing the recordings, the ratings, and specific and detailed feedback on how to improve the delivery of CBT. “Although it was initially a daunting task to send recordings of our sessions for evaluation, I really saw the value in it as it gave me very specific insights and guidance on how I can improve on my CBT sessions,” stated Clinical Psychologist Grace Hu, who participated in this group.
“Dr. Allen was clear in his feedback to our submitted work and went the extra mile to coach us through role plays and case examples,” echoed fellow participant Gladys Tan. “Under his encouragement and affirmation, supervision was a safe space for us to make and learn from our mistakes.”
Although group supervision was developed as a more cost-effective alternative to individual supervision, we have noted some important and unexpected benefits to the group supervision model. One benefit is that the group participants may treat clients from different backgrounds or who are experiencing different challenges. Some members may only have experience treating a narrow group of clients. The group model allows group members to learn how to adapt their treatment, using effective interventions for populations and presentations that they do not regularly treat. In this way, they broaden their understanding of CBT and become more well-rounded clinicians.
Another benefit is that learning alongside a group of peers normalizes the challenges that therapists often face as they work on improving their clinical skills. The participants felt that supervision provided a safe space for them to receive guidance, learn from their mistakes, and receive support.
Group supervision is also appropriate for experienced clinicians. Relate Malaysia founder Dr. Sook Ning Chua earned the designation of Beck Institute Certified Master Clinician through this term of supervision. Her feedback on the experience echoed that of the other group members: “I really enjoyed learning with my peers, because it was a safe environment. It was good to learn under Allen to be a better therapist and a better supervisor. I found him very open to feedback and discussion. His own feedback to us was specific and detailed, with suggestions on what and how to improve our sessions. This was probably one of the most productive group supervision experiences I’ve had.”
Beck Institute is now pleased to be able to offer group supervision to individual clinicians who do not have a fully formed group. This allows us to offer this beneficial experience to clinicians in private practice or who work for an organization but still feel professionally isolated. We also continue to offer group supervision to fully formed groups of 4-6 clinicians. Learn more and apply today!