A Letter of Thanks to My Supervisor LINDSAY BALBOA, MSSW, LCSW, RPT


Dear Supervisor, In the beginning stages, what I needed from you was to introduce me to the world of play therapy. I needed you to guide me toward literature and materials that provided me with a foundational knowledge of play therapy history, theory, and skills. I needed you to help me access case examples that demonstrated how the 


children experience. Though we had just entered the supervisory relationship, I greatly needed your encouragement and mentorship as I embarked on this journey to identify how I could help children and families learn, heal, and grow.


As I began to test out my clinical skills, I needed you to be bigger, stronger, wiser, and kind so I could share with you the imposter syndrome I felt so intensely. Your reassurance that this feeling would subside and your excitement about the work I shared with you  of insecurity. I needed you to support me in my exploration of theory and practice modalities as I worked out which approaches felt right for me. Your nonjudgmental nature and strengths-based way of providing constructive feedback were much appreciated as I fumbled through 


As I continue to learn and progress, your strength and unwavering  through perceived (and actual) mistakes. Your support is vital as I attempt to conceptualize cases and articulate treatment progress. I am


COUNTER POINT


appreciative of your gentle and playful way of engaging my critical thinking skills as I navigate ethical dilemmas and countertransference.


Your belief in me is motivating and encourages me to pursue opportunities in my career that I would not have considered otherwise.  playroom. Your ongoing mentorship is an invitation to the join the skilled community of play therapists I look up to and hope to learn from for years to come.


Over the years, I noticed you shift from seeing me as a supervisee to a colleague as I continue to identify and hone my professional identity. Your supervisory presence inspires me to deepen my knowledge and  for the children I serve. Your excitement and praise as I secured my Registered Play Therapist credential caused me to reflect on our journey thus far. I am grateful and thankful for the holding space you have provided me to learn and grow.


Though I have met many of my professional goals during the course of our supervisory relationship, I hope our professional relationship continues to develop. You will always be my mentor and there may be times I need to call upon you for reassurance throughout my career. Your wisdom and encouragement in these moments will help me to   continue to do.


play themes and case conceptualization” (Thomas, 2015, p.2) from a


supervisor with expertise in evidenced-based and theoretically driven play therapy approaches. Supervisees who received play-based individual and group supervision from credentialed RPT-S supervisors reported higher rates of supervision satisfaction (Donald et al., 2015).


Play therapy supervision focused on acquiring basic play therapy skills    orientation (Ray, 2004, 2011),


particularly when the supervisor


communicates a clearly understandable approach, facilitates skill building, and demonstrates genuineness (Donald et


al., 2015; Ray,


2004, 2011; Thomas, 2015). Likewise, theoretical orientation flexibility is paramount for tailoring interventions that meet supervisee learning style, educational goals, and developmental needs through each training stage (Donald et al., 2015).


Unlike other forms of clinical supervision, play therapy supervision


approaches may differ widely according to the supervisor’s preferred theoretical orientation, method of directness, and chosen model of supervision (Thomas, 2015). Effective play therapy supervision requires


a safe, empathetic, supportive, non-judgmental relationship provided through ongoing feedback, structure, expertise, play-based skill building that addresses the person of the therapist, limit setting, ethical and abuse issues, documentation, transference issues, and belief in the supervisees’ abilities throughout training (Donald et al., 2015; Luke, Mullen, & Drewes, 2007; Ray, 2004, 2011; Thomas, 2015).


         focusing on the core factors of client-centered play therapy concepts and supervisory guidelines common to a variety of play therapy theoretical orientations that foster supervisee skill development, self- supervision, goal implementation, and evaluative skills so supervisees can choose their preferred future theoretical orientation by building on this solid foundation (Putney, Worthington, & McCullough, 1992; Storm, Todd, Sprenkle, & Morgan, 2001; Thomas, 2015). Building this foundation and layering other clinical play therapy theories into supervision as needed will create a supervisory sounding board that resonates for supervisees beyond the basics of their initial play therapy instruction.


www.a4pt.org | December 2019 | PLAYTHERAPY | 19


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