Supervision is the generational transmission of memory, knowledge, and skills. Our identities and social location influence how we see ourselves in the world, which, in turn, impacts our clinical work with clients and supervisees alike. This workshop will honour memory and difference in the context of arts therapies supervision. Within the supervisory relationship, lived experiences and memories often diverge due to the differing levels of experience, cultural, and racial backgrounds of the supervisee and the supervisor. We will highlight how identity differences and similarities between the supervisor, supervisee, and/or client within systemic differences of supervisor-supervisee-institution and supervisor-supervisee-community influence therapy. Probes will focus on why supervision is important, preferred methods of communication, ways to have difficult conversations, and how to get the most out of supervision.

As part of the workshop, we will practise artmaking by creating art to better grasp the relationship between supervision and social location to understand power, privilege and identities. Artmaking will highlight the social locations of the supervisor and supervisee to better acknowledge the impact of cultural intersections and dissimilarities on supervision. Reframing differences that may have morphed into harmful biases can be confronted and a more thoughtful interpretation and exploration of social justice theories and cultural differences will be introduced.
Lastly, the intent of the workshop is to prepare participants to understand how honest and vulnerable disclosures, supervisory relationship building, and difficult discussions can occur across differences. This entails the ability to recognize the significance of memory, culturally relevant needs, support the concept of managing up, and considering differences. The presenters will guide this process while monitoring countertransference, creating time for the reframing of the past, while allowing the art to tell the story.