Poetry as self-supervision for mental health professionals: The use of poetry to process and understand clinical work

摘要

There is a growing body of literature suggesting that "self-supervision" is an option when other means of supervision are not present or are insufficient. Writing poetry in response to sessions can be a valuable form of self-supervision in and of itself as well as a supplement to conventional supervision or a positive self-care outlet for the seasoned professional or novice therapist. The development and awareness of metaphor and meaning as a path toward better empathy for a client as well as more skilled responsiveness are outcomes from a personal use of poetry responding to clinical work. Examples of responsive poetry and the methodology of such will be shared in the context of the current literature on expressive methods in conventional supervision and self-supervision.