Publications from ODSW Social Work Supervsion | Page 51

Workshop 2: Challenges and Responses of Social Work Supervisors with Managerial and Clinical Roles

(c) Managing the power invested in the appraisal role, e.g. develop a trusting
relationship; develop a culture of learning and support, and regard appraisal as an
opportunity for professional development
Dr Wong further explained the factors that influenced the experiences of challenges faced
by the supervisors, and these factors are related to (i) Supervisor (self), (ii) Organisation,
and (iii) Time.
(i) Supervisor
Dr Wong noted that there were 3 levels of challenges in the Supervisor category:

Level 1: “Unrest” within and without, where there is a great tension with the dual
role and a segregation of personal and professional self

Level 2: Finding the balance from within and without, where there is some tension
with the dual roles and some degree of integration of personal and professional self

Level 3: “At ease” within and without, where there is little or no tension with the
dual roles and a fusion of professional and personal self. Often, supervisors here
have more than 20 years of experience.
The experiences of dual role challenges seemed to be related to the degree of fusion
between their personal and professional selves. It appeared that the greater the fusion of
the personal and professional selves among the supervisors, the less frequent the
supervisors experience dual role challenges.
(ii) Organisation

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“If you run a big organisation properly, it’s easier because you have
specialised people to do certain things… if you run a small department,
everything falls on the [executive director]! From the accounts, to HR to
frontline, everything! I look at my schedule, I have to see client, I have to
do admin, I have to handle accounts, from A to Z.” (FSC 15, female)
(iii) Time
The experience of challenges and responses to challenges is influenced by time
(experience). The struggles of social work supervisors appear to be more intense in the
initial years, as supervisors adjust to the different role demands and expectations.
“So I have learnt also that sometimes for you to be able to feed some
sufficient change, it is not really exactly the first year or so, but very often,
following thereafter.” (FSC 4, male)
Dr Wong elaborated on some areas where there could be tension points. For example,
supervisors should not engage in personal therapy with their supervisees as there are
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