“When it’s going well, supervision is a holding environment, a place to feel secure enough to expose insecurities, mistakes, questions, and differences.” - Rebecca Shahmoon Shanock (1992)

Working in child and youth programs is a rewarding job, but it can be a difficult one. Staff members are responsible for the safety and education of children day in and day out. Many of the children in your programs face extraordinary stress at home, and your staff members often bear this stress and make it their own. There are few breaks during the day and few breaks across the year. Many of your staff members also go home to care for their own families after work. Given this context, it is not surprising that staff members experience stress, burnout, and job turnover.

When staff members get frustrated or stressed, they do not use their best thinking. They are less able to problem-solve, use new practices, think creatively, and be patient. They may be less able to support the children who need their help the most. Reflective supervision is one tool you can use to help support your staff members’ experience and performance. It also is an important tool in preventing the situations that can lead to child abuse and neglect in center settings.

Introduction to Reflective Supervision

健康、有教养的关系对成年人和孩子一样重要。反思性监督为您提供了与员工建立关系的机会。在这些关系的背景下，工作人员反思工作，挑战自己，努力处理新想法，表达他们的信仰。这是一个支持性的过程，它促进了在您的项目中对儿童和青年的高质量护理。用Fenichel（1992）的话说，反思监督是一种“学习的关系”yabo电子游艺

反思监督的特点是什么？

In many ways, Reflective Supervision models a parallel process for staff members. We, as managers, want staff members to be emotionally supportive of children and families. We want them to reflect on their practice and continually improve. In Reflective Supervision, supervisors have a chance to model this process. We emotionally support staff members as they reflect on their practice. Reflective supervision is characterized by (Cox, Harrison, & Neilson-Gatti, 2011):

• 注意和标记员工对某一事件或情况的感受
• Acknowledging professional competence
• 根植于儿童或青年的经历
• 提供会话内部和会话之间的反射结构

How do Supervisors use Reflective Supervision?

The Family Connections Project at Children’s Hospital Boston identified eight steps to help you build a supportive relationship within reflective supervision. The following list is adapted from “Supportive Supervision: Promoting Staff and Family Growth through Positive Relationships”:

• Establish a regular and protected time for supervision.安排约会，保留他们！确保员工知道你与他们在一起的时间是很重要的。
• Share the power.Work together to decide how meetings will be structured, what goals are set, how progress is monitored, etc.
• Accentuate the positive。Make sure staff members know you appreciate the work they do…and that they are good at it. Encourage staff members and spend time really noticing what is going well in your programs.
• 尽量听而不作判断。Notice staff members’ emotions as they talk to you, but do not assign your own values to how they are feeling. Do not get angry if they are unhappy about something at work. Just listen.
• 建立健康的冲突管理方法。反思性监督给你讨论问题的空间。共同努力，有效解决问题。
• 留出时间在监督的内外反思。Think about how your sessions with staff members went. Practice how you might say something differently if it came up again.
• 记住你不是一个人。你有很多资源可以指尖：家庭宣传计划、心理健康服务等。帮助员工找到他们需要的资源。
• 建立健康的界限。照顾好自己。如果你不知道问题的答案，那么就这样说。

When Staff Experience Stress

有时候在反思性的监督关系中，你可能会注意到一个工作人员正在经历压力。意识到压力会使工作人员很难做好工作。他们可能会面临使用不当做法的更大风险。作为一名经理，确保你意识到员工面临的压力。与他们有感情上的联系。观察工作人员是否有压力迹象。当你看到压力的迹象时，准备好帮助员工处理他们的情绪。您可能会看到以下内容：

• 情绪或行为的变化。工作人员看起来比平时更生气、生气或脾气更敏捷。
• 工作出席率或态度的变化。压力大的工作人员可能会停止工作，工作迟到，或者在工作中尽可能少做。
• 毒品或酒精问题。
• 睡眠或谈论不安的问题。
• Feelings of hopelessness or powerlessness. Staff might say things like, “We’re just spinning our wheels. Nothing’s going to change for this kid.”
• 抑郁。员工可能对他们过去喜欢的东西失去兴趣，食欲变化或其他症状。

当你看到这些迹象时，采取行动是很重要的。和工作人员谈谈。帮助他们处理他们所感受到的情绪。这对你来说是一个挑战，无论是专业还是个人。毕竟，你不是受过训练的辅导员，没有人应该期望你成为。不过，你可以打开沟通的线路。你可以成为一个和蔼可亲的人，你可以帮助员工对他们的工作感到更加自信。

有许多你能做的来帮助工作人员照顾of themselves and bounce back from challenges:

• Make sure staff members get breaks and take the breaks they earn。设计进度的方式大家哈s sufficient breaks and knows when they will get a break.
• Step in and help。There might be times when the job becomes so stressful that staff members need an unscheduled break. When you see the warning signs that a staff member is under stress or at risk for using inappropriate practices in the classroom, step in and encourage them to go take a break.
• Make sure it is always ok to ask for help。You know your role is to support staff. Make sure they know that, too. Be available for them. Show vulnerability yourself: admit when you don’t know the answer to something. Learn alongside the staff.
• 预测压力事件。In the context of child abuse and neglect, the stress rarely ends once the report is made. After a report, staff might be anxious about angry parents, damaged relationships, or a child’s safety. You need to know in advance that these feelings are going to occur. Help prepare the staff for “day 1” after a report and every day after. Talk to the staff about what might happen, reflect with them on what they might feel or experience, and role play together how to respond to difficult situations.
• Advocate for staff。You know how hard your staff work every day. Be an advocate for them and their needs. Find the resources that can help them grow and recover from difficult situations.