Cultivating self-compassion within the supervision relationship

The transition from clinician-in-training to mental health professional can prove challenging, marked by feelings of anxiety, self-doubt, and incompetence. The supervisory relationship aims to address such struggles, and is a process that can benefit from an infusion of self-compassion. By helping supervisees promote self-kindness, mindfulness, and recognition of a shared experience (the tenets of self-compassion), supervisors may better address both the cognitive and affective components underlying the development from student to professional. Learning self-compassion can prove beneficial throughout the span of a clinician's career. Example exercises that may be incorporated into supervision are provided.