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Change your Mind, Change your Brain, Change your Life, One Session at a Time
Clinical Supervision
As an educator in psychology and psychotherapy for more than 20 years, a clinician since 2005, and a clinical supervisor since 2017, I strongly believe that the foundation of providing effective counselling for clients is based on a therapist’s ability to stay true to themselves and create strong therapeutic relationships. This is most often done while staying in the present moment (Stern) with clients. Accordingly, my supervision philosophy emphasizes the therapist's ability to be with the client while at the same time being with themselves in the clinical setting. Linking theory to practice, while considering the clinician's emotional reactions in the consulting room, is important to help the supervisee critically reflect on their SEUS (safe and effective use of self). I support psychotherapy interns, RPQs, and fully licensed professionals as they journey to create or expand their professional identity. I emphasize self-reflection, case conceptualization, and skill building but also focus on intentionality when considering specific modalities and/or techniques.
I am a Registered Psychotherapist (CRPO) neuropsychoanalyst, and I hold a Ph.D. in Research Psychology (Neuropsychoanalysis). I also have extended training in individual therapies such as CBT, DBT, Humanistic, Solution-Focused, Trauma, Mentalization, Spiritually-Integrated, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Narrative, and MI, to name only a few. Furthermore, I have experience with neurodivergence and training in Trauma and Attachment-Based Family Therapy (ABFT). As a student of the University of Guelph's Advanced Certificate in Couple and Family Therapy, I can also support therapists with clients struggling with relationship concerns. I am a Neuropsychotherapist and also a Clinical Fellow in Neuropsychoanalysis. I often add elements of this knowledge into my supervision, if therapists are interested. But what is Neuropsychoanalysis?
Neuropsychoanalysis
Neuropsychoanalysis is a field of study that brings neuroscientists, psychoanalysts, and psychotherapists together to understand better the whole person, mind, body, and spirit. Integrating objective science (neuroscience) with the subjective experiences of clients in therapy can help both clients and therapists. The field was created in 1999 by Dr. Mark Solms, a psychoanalyst and neuropsychologist. Solms sat on my Ph.D. committee and leads a clinical case conference supervision group I attend monthly to continue my Neuropsychoanalysis Fellowship.
Panksepp's Seven Emotional Systems
Neuropsychoanalysis is grounded on the work of Mark Solms (psychoanalysis/neuropsychology) and Jaak Panksepp (1943-2017), who discovered that animals and human brains are wired functionally and chemically to have seven primary emotional systems. These systems are attachment-based, adaptive, biological, and necessary for survival. These emotional systems expand, from a contemporary affective neuroscience lens, on the work of Freud's drive systems. Below are Panksepp's seven emotional systems, and you will note that there are two types of fear systems: 1) Fear/Anxiety and 2) Panic/Separation. What I do in supervision is help supervisees who are interested in neurodynamic support for their clients to understand better which type of anxiety their client might have Or what other emotional systems might be driving their presenting problems in psychotherapy. Depending on the most prevalent emotional system, the therapy may differ.
Is anger driving your client? How might understanding the Rage system help? Does your client use addiction as a coping/defence mechanism? How might understanding the Seeking system help to support them? These are how I work with the various emotional systems.
Below, I have posted a video by Dr. Solms, where he explains the functional and chemical basis of the seven emotional drives and how this knowledge can be used clinically.
Supervision Goals & Options
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The CRPO will approve individual, Dyadic, and Group Supervision hours as I meet the CRPO's qualifications. The goals of supervision are:
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To provide support with Clinical Questions and Cases
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To utilize Anti-oppressive practices and keep Ethics and Power Dynamics top of mind
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To help supervisees continue to grow and reflect on their Safe and Effective use of Self (SEUS) in clinical settings
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To help supervisees bring Transference and Countertransference issues to conscious awareness with clients and learn how to use it to support the clients and their own personal and professional development
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To support new practitioners with Private practitioners - practice questions are welcome
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To provide Collegiality and Support
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To provide broad supervision with various modalities. My lens is psychodynamic, attachment, trauma-based, and relational. Still, I have experience and training to support other modalities as I work from a client-centered framework. Psychodynamic therapy is not a one-size-fits-all modality, nor are the other modalities (CTB, DBT, SF, IFS, EFT, etc, to name only a few), So, I take an integrative approach depending on what the therapist feels they might need for their client.
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To facilitate case formulations from a "Compassionate Inquiry" lens, developed by Dr. Gabor Maté. I have just completed his 10-week Suicide Attention Training and will begin his year-long Compassionate Inquiry Program in January 2024. This non-pathologizing approach grounds my work with clients, students, and supervisees.
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For the supervisor to facilitate the co-creation of a safe and welcoming environment for supervisees.
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I do not Supervise cases below the age of 14 years of age.
Dyadic Options
Individual Options
CRPO Supervision Information
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The CRPO requires that Psychotherapy students and Qualifying Psychotherapists (RPQ) obtain a minimum of 1 hour of clinical supervision for every 4.5 hours of direct client contact hours. There is no requirement to do any group supervision to attain CRPO registration. All of your supervision can be individual or dyadic. However, If you choose to do some group supervision, you cannot do more than 50% of your supervision in the group format.
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Once members achieve RP status (450 DCC hours, 100 hours supervision), the CRPO requires 1 hour of supervision for every 10 direct client contact hours, at least 50% of which must be individual or dyadic.
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Once RPs have achieved 1000 hours of direct client contact and 150 hours of clinical supervision, they may apply to practice independently.​
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Yorkville University
Using Group Supervision as "Indirect Hours"
​Yorkville requires students to attain 200 "indirect hours."
These include:
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Case conferences or staff meetings, without the client present
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Consultation with professionals at the practicum site
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Individual supervision sessions (a minimum of 30 hours – 1 hour per week over the course of trimesters one and two)
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In-service training, if offered by the practicum site
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Observing or co-facilitating psychoeducational groups targeted more to universal vs designated client populations
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Pofessional team collaboration
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Writing progress notes, Record keeping, Writing and updating treatment plans, Writing treatment and/or discharge summaries
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While group supervision cannot go toward your supervision hours (minimum of 30), they can go toward your indirect hours - as per the RED bullet points above. ​
More importantly, if you decide to do some group hours for your Indirect YU hours, as noted below, I can later sign off for these to go to your CRPO supervision hours. YU won't count them for supervision hours, but CRPO will count your group hours signed off by me as long as they are less than 8 participants; all my groups are 6 participants maximum.
For CRPO, you will need 100 hours of supervision to get the RP Licence (450 DCC and 100 supervision hours), and 50% of those supervision hours can be group hours. Any group case consultation hours would be attended outside your required 30 hours of the individual (or dyadic supervision). The groups run at 35-40 dollars per hour (2-hour group sessions).
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Connect With Me
Via the form below
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Text or phone Kate 416-315-1418
Or
Email me: kate@insightneuropsychotherapy.ca
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Please Contact me for more Information on Individual, Group, Or Dyadic Supervision
Insight-Online recognizes that it is located on/in the traditional territory of Petun, Anishinaabeg, Haudenosaunee, Attiwonderonk, and Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation peoples. This territory is covered by the Simcoe Patent - Treaty 4 and the Haldimand Treaty. Today, this meeting place is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work, live and play on this land.
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