Professional supervision provides an opportunity to reflect on, and receive feedback on therapeutic work for the purpose of professional growth and accountability.
Practising members are responsible for seeking out supervision relevant to their own professional development. DTAA has accredited a number of its members, each working within their own area of expertise. The Find a therapist section offers a comprehensive listing of accredited supervisors.
Annual Supervision Requirements
To address membership requirements for the DTAA, Associate, Provisional Professional and Professional Members are expected to engage in regular and ongoing clinical supervision with a professional practitioner.
- Professional and Clinical Supervisor members working more than 100 hours per year must have:
- 10 hours total of clinical supervision per year (peer, group or individual)
- supervisor does not need to be a DMT, but needs to have relevance to the focus of your practice or population and to be a recognised professional in that area (e.g. a member of the appropriate professional organisation)
- Professional and Clinical members working less than 100 hours per year
- 4 hours of clinical supervision (group or individual) for 60 to 100 hours
- 2 hour of clinical supervision (group or individual) for 30 to 60 hours
- 1 hour of clinical supervision (preferably individual) for 1 to 30 hours
- Associate and Provisional Professional members working any number of hours per year:
- 1 hour of Clinical Supervision (group or individual) per 15 hours of professional practice
Group Supervision Guidelines – for Provisional Professional and Professional members
- Supervision groups will have no more than 6 members.
- For groups of 1-3 members, one hour of supervision will count as one hour for the DTAA Supervision requirement.
- For groups of 4-6 members, supervision sessions must be 1.5 hours minimum and will count as one hour for each 1.5 hours’ supervision towards the DTAA requirements.
- Peer group supervision of groups with six or less members is acceptable ONLY for Professional members and Clinical DMT Supervisors.
For Associate members, both group and individual supervision are acceptable. Ideally there should be an appropriate balance between individual and group supervision; however the DTAA offers no specific guideline or ratio.
Who can provide Supervision for Provisional Professional and Professional members
Ideally, supervision is to be provided by a DMT Professional or Clinical DMT Supervisor or the equivalent level of expertise registered by an overseas organisation (e.g. ADTA, UKDMP, etc). All supervisors must have a minimum of five years of clinical practice experience as a Professional member (or overseas equivalent).
Examples of appropriate supervisors for Professional members:
- a Professional member or Clinical DMT Supervisor with the DTAA
- a professional person experienced in the therapeutic application of dance
- a professional person who can extend the knowledge and expertise of the therapist
- a professional person who has strong skills and knowledge of the client population
Who can provide supervision for Trainees and new Graduates from DMT training programs:
- a DTAA-registered DMT at Professional level or Clinical DMT Supervisor
Reporting supervision
At renewal time each year, practising members are required to report the following information:
- approximate number of clients contact hours worked during the reporting period (renewal year)
- number of hours of appropriate supervision received during the reporting period
- CPD details
- Certificate of currency of Public Liability & Professional Indemnity Insurance.
Why is Supervision Necessary and Important?
Supervision is a contractual, collaborative process which monitors, develops and supports supervisees in their professional role/s. In professional supervision, the central focus is on both the optimum outcome for the client and the professional development and self-care of the supervisee. The process of professional supervision is seen to encompass a number of significant components, including a formal agreement between supervisor and supervisee. It is an opportunity for the supervisee to present relevant material regarding their professional practice via case discussion, recordings of client sessions, role plays, etc., allowing a space for reflective review by the supervisee and feedback by the supervisor. The supervisory relationship and process of supervision are congruent with the developmental needs of the supervisee (adapted from PACFA, 2017).
The supervisor is generally seen to have more experience than the supervisee with regard to professional seniority, skill development and possibly within a particular specialty. It is important that supervisors have relevant qualifications and experience to provide effective supervision.
Supervision is a time for honest and open inquiry into one’s practice in an accepting and non-judgmental environment. There are many topics the supervisee may choose to discuss, and some example topics are offered below:
Examples of issues to bring to a supervision session:
- the therapist’s questions regarding the processes of assessing, evaluating, and documenting the client’s ongoing and presenting state and needs (physical, emotional, behavioural, psychological)
- the therapist’s challenges regarding interpersonal skills, including the ability to work collaboratively in the workplace, with other health professionals, or with the client
- the therapist’s understanding of appropriate use of the materials of dance for a specific dance movement therapy situation
- the therapist’s ability to develop and implement dance movement therapy programs that meet the ongoing and ever-changing needs of the client
- the therapist’s ability to evaluate the DMT program and modify it accordingly
