MENTORING & SUPERVISION Mentoring and supervision can be claimed in two of the CPD categories to comply with the Registration Standard.

1. If you are receiving the mentoring or supervision then you claim the time in Category 2 –Informal Learning Activities.

2. If you are providing the mentoring or supervision you claim the time in Category 3 – Engagement with the Profession.

Mentoring

Mentoring usually takes place between a professional just starting out in their profession or in a particular area of work and a more senior professional. The Mentor is someone who is able to provide guidance and support to the neophyte as a way of encouraging them in their own professional development. It is not as intense a relationship as the one between a supervisor and supervisee as it usually does not focus on specific clinical work but rather on more broad approaches to the work being undertaken. Mentoring is also different from the supervision provided by management, which is more usually aimed at performance appraisal and feedback. Mentoring is a developmental relationship, expected to change over time. In a mentoring relationship, the boundaries between the personal and professional spheres are less well-defined. Mentoring creates an environment which is supportive, non-judgmental and non-competitive. It fosters trust, facilitates the sharing of information and is based on a foundation of mutual respect. The relationship promotes movement from some degree of dependence to independence and individuation.

MentorLink is the service provided by Occupational Therapy Australia to its members. This service links occupational therapists who are seeking a mentor with an occupational therapist who is willing to be a mentor. For more information and finding a mentor or mentee please visit the website http://www.mentorlinklounge.com/.

Supervision Being in supervision can bring into focus areas of difficulty in occupational therapy practice or work being undertaken that can lead to new learning and/or changes in practice for the supervisee and thereby contribute to their professional development. Receiving supervision provides an opportunity for the supervisee/s to review their performance and to learn. Giving supervision provides an opportunity for the supervisor to review their own approach to issues being presented and to develop new insights or areas for further learning. Supervision is defined as a situation where one person, who is regarded as an expert or a senior specialist, provides direction or oversight in relation to the work of more junior or less experienced person/s, by thinking through their work with them.

The focus of this activity is the distinctive occupational therapy contribution within the day to day work of the person being supervised. Occupational therapists may be called upon to supervise other allied health professionals where they have particular specialty skills, such as hand therapy.

The definition of a ‘supervisor’ in this context is ‘someone who is considered senior or more expert in the area for which supervision is being provided’. This means that supervision may sometimes be provided by non-OTs who work in the same area.

Supervision can be provided to individuals or to small groups. Those being supervised in a group should consider themselves to be peers or equals to other group members and should all regard the supervisor as more senior or expert.

Supervision should have:

1. Clear goals and objectives and identified expected outcomes The supervisee/s should think through the goals of the supervision and should regularly review these. Expected outcomes of the supervision should be discussed and a written record of discussions and outcomes should be kept.

2. Regular sessions with strict time guidelines

3. Professional supervision is sometimes provided at a charge by the supervisor,

particularly in a mental health context. 4. Clear expectations about the length of the relationship and how it might be

brought to a close.

Supervision is not something that should continue ad-infinitum. The aims for the supervision should indicate the possible length of the relationship and allude to the expected outcomes of the relationship. If the relationship is a professional one and the supervisee is paying for the supervisor’s time, it is helpful to draw up a contract to define the supervision.

Refer to the Guidelines on continuing professional development for the OTBA’s requirements regarding supervision as cpd.

Supervision/Mentoring Record

Supervisee/ Mentee

Registration No

Supervisor/ Mentor

Registration No

Supervision/Mentoring Goal/s

Period of Supervision/Mentoring

Date of Session

Session Objective Hours Supervisee/ Mentee Signature

Supervisor/ Mentor Signature

Reflections on supervision or mentoring for period (impact on practice, specific lessons learned, etc.)

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