Creative Supervision: The Use of Expressive Arts Methods in Supervision and Self-Supervision(Arts Therapies)

Supervision is growing in importance in all professions as a means of focusing on the personal and vocational skills of the supervisee, as well as a means of supporting them in their work. In this book Mooli Lahad argues that the most effective method of supervision uses both right and left hemispheres of the brain, the intuitive and logical. He encourages the use of metaphors, images and stories to enrich theoretical knowledge and improve our understanding of the processes of therapy and support. In Creative Supervision Lahad introduces techniques, drawn from the expressive arts therapies, which can be employed during a supervision to release information from the creative hemisphere of the brain. These techniques include storytelling, role-playing, guided fantasy, imaginary dialogues, letter-writing, drawing, and the use of colours and shapes. Case examples show how the techniques were used, and how they provided insight into problematic relationships with clients. Drawing from his experiences of working in the aftermath of tragedy in Israel, Northern Ireland and the former Yugoslavia, Lahad examines how to supervise a crisis intervention team: he also focuses on self-supervision. Combining humanistic, creative and practical approaches, Creative Supervision gives a fresh, new perspective which will inspire supervisors to re-think their practice.

Table of Contents:
Introduction. 1. Starting your supervision. 2. Colours, shapes and lines. 3. The use of stories, films and plays in supervision. 4. Letter-writing and imaginary dialogues. 5. Images, metaphors and guided fantasy. 6. Sailing into the world of magic - using therapeutic cards. 7. The spectogram. 8. BASIC Ph model - how to understand the way the supervisee meets the world. 9. Supervising crisis intervention teams. 10. Resistance or waiting in the hallway. 11. Self-supervision. Appendix. Bibliography. Index.

About the Author :
Mooli Lahad is Founder and Director of the Institute of Dramatherapy, and Director of the Community Stress Prevention Centre, Tel Hai College, Israel. He is a consultant to UNICEF, working in Sarajevo and other parts of the former Yugoslavia during the recent war; while as a supervisor he has worked with teams in many parts of the world, including Israel and Northern Ireland. For the past eighteen years he has supervised mental health care-givers such as psychologists, social workers, doctors, nurses, creative arts therapists and community health workers.

Review :
Within each chapter Lahad focuses on a particular creative technique and at the end of the twelve chapters, the reader has a wealth of information about the use of expressive art therapies in supervision which includes storytelling, role-playing, guided fantasy, imagery dialogues, letter writing, drawing and the use of colours and shapes... I feel that this book would be an excellent addition to the supervisor's and supervisee's repertoire. A rich account of the very practical creative methods for the practice of supervision. Lahad opens his chest of treasures collected over more than 20 years of practical and shares them with us generously. Himself a psychologist, drama-therapist, supervisor, and consultant in war and crisis-stricken areas, he experiences in his everyday work extreme situations and the vital role of the imagination in the saving of lives. In this book, he shows us multiple ways of applying this work to supervision. This book is a must-have for everyone working or wishing to work in supervision not only cognitively but also in efficient, intuitive and creative way. This book gives an interesting perspective on the use of arts therapies techniques and tools, for example drama therapy or art therapy in supervision. The author gives numerous examples of the techniques he uses as a facilitator in supervising such varied professionals as child protection officers, art therapists and crisis workers.The broad range of tools employed allows professional care givers to examine their practice afresh. This is a delightful book that brings creative ideas from Mooli Lahad's work across a range of disciplines that could be usefully shared by counsellors, counselling supervisors and trainers of supervisors... she provides suggestions for exercises that are able to access intuition and logic, and can be applied to individual, group and self-supervision. Ideas are illuminated by useful examples of ways of using metaphor, visualisation, writing, drawing and dramatic techniques in his work with practitioners who find themselves facing confusion, stuckness or resistance with their clients or supervisees. The reader is shown how, by valuing and connecting with individuals through their strengths, we can encourage them to develop modes of experiencing they may use infrequently. The richness of his supervisory style and techniques jumps off the page at you, thus the book is lively, colourful and thought provoking. Anyone wanting to stimulate and challenge their ideas about supervision will get something from this book.