Intersectional supervision
Part of the 'Equity Change Project'
Introduction
This section explores the importance of using an intersectional lens in the context of supervision.
Embedding intersectionality in supervision
Intersectional supervision includes recognition of the situated knowledge of both supervisee and supervisor, intersectional listening and curiosity, naming power and addressing issues of equity. It is a reciprocal interaction. Intersectional supervision recognises personal, professional, cultural and structural elements. There is time and space for consideration and co-produced understanding of how someone is positioned as a human being, not just as a worker. Intersectional supervision explores the crisscrossing roads that interact and impact on the supervisee, and it unpacks the emotional component of practice. It involves a different view and picks up different signals (Nayak, 2022).
Intersectionality offers a method of reflective analysis that can be used in supervision both to consider practice and to consider the experiences of the practitioner. We can use the analogy of someone standing at an intersection as a tool in supervision:
- Name the roads of inequity.
- Name the vehicles of oppression on the roads.
- Describe the crash.
- Describe the bio-psycho-social injury. (Nayak, 2022)
The intersection analogy.
Unpacking the power relationship in supervision is important. This requires each party to be able to talk about their identity and context, and how these impact on the other person. An example is a supervisor naming that she is a Black woman and asking her supervisee to talk about how identity and context will be considered in their supervision sessions.
The impact of intersectional supervision is a more equitable relationship and practice that promotes equity outside of the supervision space.
Reflective question
What would be different for you in intersectional supervision compared to professional supervision?
The tool below facilitates exploration in supervision about your supervisee’s intersectional experiences and the emotional support they need.
Use this tool to draw out the intersection in supervision.
Use the examples of Maggie’s, Pra’s and Jack’s practitioners to consider intersectional support.
Example: What helps me to embed intersectionality in what I do
In the Change Project, we discussed why intersectionality is difficult and why it takes an emotional toll. Participants’ suggestions included:
- We are going back to a position of not being an expert.
- I like to compartmentalise everything, to make sense of things, and we need to consider all aspects and the blending of everything.
- The process and systems are constructed to make this difficult.
- We have a fear of getting it wrong.
- It isn’t in the interests of oppression to name things.
Participants also provided examples of what has helped them use intersectionality in their practice:
- Time to reflect away from business of work.
- Support from my organisation to prioritise this.
- Like-minded people and conversations that bring me back to what is important.
- Being able to honestly share experiences in a safe place.
- Getting up-to-date knowledge (academically and what is good practice) and then sharing this.
The tool below supports you to set up a community of practice, or use an existing one, as a place to share learning and grow expertise in using the lens of intersectionality.
This tool can be used to support setting up a community of practice to embed intersectionality.
Collection of resources supporting 'Putting intersectionality into action - support'.