Developing a Supervision Plan for Productive and Positive Mentorship

Question
Develop a supervision plan to guide productive and positive mentorship with your supervisor during supervision meetings.
Explain how supervision adds to your professional growth and development.
Explain how you used this week’s readings and resources to inform your plan.
Include at least three (3) specific items in your plan
Engaging in group therapy for social skill, coping skills, behavioral different diagnoses. long term clients in this program. 

Answer
1. Introduction
I will meet with my mentor group weekly to ensure that everyone is on the same page and to reflect on anything that has happened from the week before. These meetings will take place during a time when we can have a reasonable amount of quiet and privacy. During this discussion, we will reflect on the assistantship positions, their weekly interactions with the student body, formal/informal learning experiences, and anything that may be troubling them. At the end of each meeting, I will have each mentee set a goal for what they hope to accomplish before our next meeting. This can be an ongoing goal or something they hope to do in a short amount of time. We will always start with the previous week’s goals to ensure that they were accomplished and why/why not. And if it is a suitable time, we will do some sort of team-building activity.
A major component of this plan is the manner in which I create a sense of community and establish a caring yet challenging relationship with my mentees. This is the foundation from which everything else is built upon. So, my first goal is to become very knowledgeable about the individuals I will be supervising. This includes researching their assistantship positions and, in the case of first-year graduate students, what their assistantship positions will entail. I also hope to uncover what their career goals are so that I can better assist in their growth and development. Finally, I want to know what their strengths are and what they hope to get out of this mentoring experience. This may take place in the form of a mentee self-assessment. With an understanding of who my mentees are as individuals, I can better personalize their development. For example, if a mentee has a programming position and hopes to become a Director of Housing, their developmental needs and goals will be much different than someone with an assistantship in academic advising who aspires to become a Dean of Students. By understanding who my mentees are, I can better assist them in reaching their goals. This may involve a mix of mentoring from myself and referring them to a more suitable mentor.
In order to bring about this level of growth and development, it is essential that I have a clear plan for how to supervise my mentees. This paper will take you through the different steps and basic principles I will use to carry out this supervisory plan so that it leads to a highly developmental experience for both me and my mentees.
This paper outlines the plan I have for supervising a group of students in a productive and positive way. It is my goal to create an environment in which my mentees are able to uncover and build upon their strengths and passions in the field of student affairs. Within this supportive community, they will be challenged to grow and develop professional competencies that will make them more effective practitioners. Finally, I hope that through this experience, they are able to develop a professional identity in the field of student affairs as a result of integrating in and out of class experiences.
1.1 Purpose of the Supervision Plan
The overall purpose of this supervision plan is to support and develop the supervisee’s skills in promoting a positive and productive mentoring relationship. Together, the supervisor and supervisee will work towards developing the necessary skills to create a positive mentoring environment and deal with the challenges and opportunities that arise. By continually assessing the effectiveness of their mentoring relationship, it is anticipated that the supervisee will also develop skills to be self-reflective and to take a proactive stance in his ongoing mentoring relationship. In turn, it is expected that the skills and strategies the supervisee learns will be shared with his mentee, thus indirectly impacting the mentoring experience of the mentees in the Faculty of Education. This objective is based on the belief that learning to mentor occurs through a process of self-discovery, trial and error, gaining feedback and applying new learning. The supervisor and supervisee will engage in regular discussions surrounding the projects and outcome measures for the supervisee’s mentoring relationship. This will allow the supervisee to share his learning and experiences and allow the supervisor to provide guidance and feedback. By documenting this process through the supervision plan, it is expected that the discussions will be rich and lead to the development of further questions, ideas and learning. The documentation will also serve as a useful tool for the supervisee to recall his learning and to assess his progress at various stages throughout his mentoring relationship.
1.2 Importance of Productive and Positive Mentorship
I. Introduction II. Purpose of the Supervision Plan III. Importance of Productive and Positive Mentorship A. Define the concept of supervision B. Discuss supervision in the context of both informal and formal helping relationships C. Discuss the importance of supervision for the development of the professional identity of the counselor. D. Discuss the levels of tasks within the supervision process. E. Discuss the specific requirements of supervision for the mental health counselor working with individuals, families, and/or groups. IV. Incorporating Readings and Resources The previous section discussed the relevance of supervision as a whole to all counselors. In this section, the focus is on specific requirements and techniques for clinical mental health counselors or those individuals who find themselves in dual roles where clinical supervision is needed. This includes individuals who are practicing counseling techniques in schools, universities, and/or various agencies. It is clear that professional identity for mental health counselors is linked to clinical supervision. This can be seen from the recent inclusion of standards for supervisors and for the supervision process by the American Psychological Association, and the additional fact that in the United States, for mental health services to the Medicare eligible population, psychiatry is the only clinical mental health profession that still offers any form of medical care. This means that the vast number of mental health clients are receiving counseling from individuals with Master’s level training or other mental health professionals. With the field narrowing and with psychiatry moving more toward medication management, there is an increasing number of individuals with Master’s degree or other mental health professionals who are receiving or seeking supervision so that they can continue to offer services in the form of counseling.
1.3 Incorporating Readings and Resources
To guide a productive and positive mentorship that is consistent with the statement and goals of the program, mentors may wish to incorporate articles, guides, and textbook material on the subject. Topics might include developmental theories of college students, racial identity development, sexual orientation, leadership identity, and social change. Resources could also explore the varying needs of students of different identities as they progress through higher education. Dr. Janet Helms offers a compendium of resources on the subject of racial identity that could aid a mentor in working with a student from a similar background. Because material is likely to be both practical and theoretical, mentors may choose to engage in discussions based on readings during group supervision meetings. When possible, mentors should seek out literature specific to the population with which they will be working. This might include material on identity development for women, international students, students with disabilities, etc. By encouraging critical thinking on the subject, mentors will be more prepared to think on their feet when working with students in 1-1 and group settings.
2. Establishing Goals and Objectives
2.1 Identifying Professional Growth Areas
2.2 Defining Developmental Objectives
2.3 Aligning Goals with Supervision Meetings
3. Creating a Structured Meeting Agenda
3.1 Setting Clear Meeting Objectives
3.2 Allocating Time for Discussion Topics
3.3 Incorporating Feedback and Reflection
3.4 Documenting Action Steps and Follow-ups
4. Enhancing Communication and Collaboration
4.1 Active Listening and Open Dialogue
4.2 Building Trust and Rapport
4.3 Addressing Challenges and Concerns
5. Utilizing Resources and Support
5.1 Leveraging Readings and Research
5.2 Seeking Guidance from Colleagues
5.3 Accessing Professional Development Opportunities
6. Evaluating Progress and Performance
6.1 Assessing Professional Growth Milestones
6.2 Monitoring Developmental Objectives
6.3 Identifying Areas for Improvement
7. Conclusion
7.1 Recap of the Supervision Plan
7.2 Emphasizing the Benefits of Mentorship
7.3 Encouraging Ongoing Learning and Development