Issue link: http://ncumarketing.uberflip.com/i/1356163
4 N O RT H C E N T R A L U N I V E R S I T Y: N C U M F T S U P E RV I S O R C O R N E R SUPERVISOR SPOTLIGHT KIERA MCGILLIVRAY, MS, LMFT Tell us about your clinical training/licensure, experience, and current work setting. I graduated with my Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 2015. Upon graduation, I opened a private practice in Las Vegas with a focus on working with couples, children, and adult individuals presenting with trauma. I have training in Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), Trauma-Focused Expressive Arts Therapy, Neurorelational Child-Centered Play Therapy, Emotional Freedom Technique, and Trauma-Informed Yoga. I have applied techniques I learned to areas of child trauma, military families, sex therapy, and victims of a mass casualty incident. About two years ago, I moved to Delaware due to my husband's work. I currently work at a non-profit organization as the program manager for our school-based trauma services where we conduct groups and individual therapy for students who have been identified as experiencing a traumatic or stressful event. What do you enjoy most about supervising? There are many aspects of supervision I enjoy, but, ultimately, it is seeing the trainees build confidence in their clinical skills. This includes learning new interventions, becoming comfortable with ethical decision-making, and understanding the role of themselves in the therapy room. It is important trainees feel supported in their journey, and being an effective resource to support their growth is fulfilling. How do you support supervisees' awareness of the importance of their own self-care and well-being? It is something I check in with every time we meet. I always make time during the first several minutes of supervision to see how they are doing. I am also looking out for compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma warning signs. For many trainees, these terms are unfamiliar. I believe it is my responsibility to be informed on these topics, and to bring awareness and preventative self-care tips to the supervision session. I also encourage the trainees I work with to identify the emotions and accompanying physical response they feel when working with some clients in supervision so they can process that piece to be more attuned and present for their clients. What words would you use to describe your supervision style? Collaborative, reflective, empowering.