New Year’s Reflections in Clinical Supervision: Rhythm of Intention
By Kristen Dammer
Let’s take a moment and celebrate all the therapists and interns working towards licensure in the past year. You all deserve a standing ovation for the wonderful work you do. This two (or more) year time period is wrapped up with so many emotions, struggles and celebratory moments that often go unrecognized throughout your clinical supervision journey.
The Road to Clinical Licensure
Even though I’m now an experienced therapist and clinical supervisor, I can still remember what it took for me to get here. As I think back to my road to licensure, a few memories stand out. “Oh sh*t…what the h*ll am I doing?” sums up the first year, with little time to catch my breath.
My second year slowed down, and I started to grow into myself, feeling more confident with my own approach as a therapist. My confidence was still on a roller coaster, but I remember feeling more secure in my development, moving into a “hey I think I got this” thought pattern. Looking back, I wish I took more time to “catch my breath,” reflect, and look intentionally ahead.
This is your time.
Reflections of Your Clinical Work in the New Year
Now is the perfect chance to reflect on the past year and take time to intentionally plan your year ahead. Take a moment now to reflect.
One helpful strategy that we often use in EMDR is to run a movie in your mind. Your movie will have its own starting point and ending point. Or you can reflect on your own mindful practice. Try to think back to all the months of the year, seeing if anything significant stands out. Here are some helpful reflection points:
- You as a therapist
- What are the moments you are most proud of that happened in sessions this year or outside of sessions this past year?
- What were some “aha” moments, where something clicked, and you felt greater insight?
- What are mistakes that helped you learn a new path?
- Your self-care
- What highlights of the past year were life-giving?
- What filled you with gratitude and renewed you?
- What is something you want more of and what might you leave behind?
- What drained you this past year and what might you do differently moving forward?
Spending time to reflect on these questions can set you up to feel a sense of empowerment, as you move forward into the year. Having intention and gratitude daily is a wonderful way to remember to “breathe” and take time to enjoy the journey to licensure.
Setting Goals for Next Year in Your Counseling Work
Perhaps in supervision you can use these reflections to review goals for this next year and cross out met goals for this. Reflecting on these can add motivation and rejuvenation for the tough moments ahead in your road to licensure.
This past year as a supervisor, I have learned that I wasn’t as mindful as I thought. By adding daily mindfulness practices, I am moving more fluidly inside that rhythm of intention. The fluidity connects me with intention and gratitude.
It is important to remember: The movement towards fluidly is NOT a linear process, so give yourself grace and offer many moments of resetting because change is difficult, especially with the demands of achieving licensure. Slowing down and adding in time for reflection can be transformative. We become so busy with day to day that having this time, even if only 5 minutes, can be a part of our self-care.
Mindfulness in Clinical Supervision
As I move into the next year, I hope to use this idea of Rhythm of Intention as part of my individual supervision and group supervision sessions. We can breathe into the New Year with that sense of gratitude for what the past year taught us and the excitement that this year holds.
Look for our upcoming training on The Mindful Therapist for some wonderful ideas to include the “Rhythm of Intention” into your next year.
Source: The “Rhythm of Intention” and some ideas in this blog were gathered from For The Joy Yoga, Jen Albritton.
How can we help
If you are fully licensed and are interested in a clinical consultation group that focuses on mindfulness, holistic mind-body techniques, and finding your Rhythm of Intention, check out our Holistic Therapists Consultation Group where you can connect with other like-minded practitioners and find your community!
Author Bio
Kristen Dammer is a clinical supervisor, therapist, and blogger with Firelight Supervision and Catalyss Counseling. Kristen specializes in trauma, ADHD, and perinatal counseling with adults and is trained in EMDR. Kristen enjoys providing clinical supervision and consultation to beginning to advanced clinicians in private practice, hospital, and agency settings.
