Creativity in Cross-Cultural Supervision: The CANVAS Model

Whitney McLaughlin, MA, LPCA, NCC

College of Education Counselor Education, Educational Leadership, Policy, & Human Development

BACKGROUND CANVAS MODEL CHALLENGE

❑ I challenge my supervisees throughout the
❑ Counseling is described as an art and a developmental process of their practicum
science (Nystul, 2015). CANVAS
experience in order to eventually become a
C- A- proficient and culturally competent counselor.
❑ As such, supervision provides the vehicle for
Challenge Awareness
counselors-in-training to develop therapeutic ❑ Supervision Theory: Discrimination Model
skills and use their creativity in counseling.
S - Support N - Nurturance
❑ I view supervision as a painted canvas that
becomes a piece of art filled with color,
creativity, and individuality.
A - Advocacy V - Variety
I call my approach to
supervision the CANVAS Model!
AWARENESS NURTURANCE VARIETY
❑ As teacher, counselor, and consultant, I
❑ Because I view the supervisory relationship as one that is nurturing, I respond to the unique learning needs of
use an individualized, strengths-based approach to help supervisees with appropriate and varied
supervisee’s meet their developmental needs. interventions accordingly.

❑ Supervision Theory: Narrative Approach

❑ By regularly incorporating reflexivity into

supervision, supervisees engage in continued
self-awareness to help them deconstruct and
reconstruct their professional narratives.

❑ Supervision Theory: Humanistic-relationship

oriented framework

ADVOCACY SUPPORT SELECTED REFERENCES

❑ I encourage my supervisees to be advocates Bernard, J. M., & Goodyear, R. K. (2014). Fundamentals of clinical supervision. (5th ed.). Upper

❑ Lastly, as a sounding board for my

Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.
for their clients as I model how I can be an Bob, S. R. (1999). Narrative approaches to supervision and case formulation. Psychotherapy,

advocate for them. In doing so, they see that
social justice and advocacy work are
essential to being a counseling professional.
supervisees, I provide support to address their
needs and concerns, hone their skills, and
compliment their work with clients and
themselves.
39(2), 146-153.
Farber, E. W. (2010). Humanistic-existential psychotherapy competencies and the supervisory
process. Psychotherapy Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 47, 28-34.
Koltz, R. L. (2008). Integrating creativity into supervision using Bernard’s discrimination
model.
Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 3(4), 416-427.
Nystul, M. S. (2015). Introduction to counseling: An art and science perspective (5th ed.).
Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

❑ Supervision Theory: Discrimination Model

Szymanski, D.M. (2005). Feminist identity and theories as correlates of feminist supervision
❑ Supervision Theory: Feminist Theory practices. The Counseling Psychologist, 33(5),729-747.