TY - JOUR T1 - Moving on from Balint: embracing clinical supervision JF - British Journal of General Practice JO - Br J Gen Pract SP - 182 LP - 183 VL - 57 IS - 536 AU - John Launer Y1 - 2007/03/01 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/57/536/182.abstract N2 - Apart from general practice, most of the helping professions now have an established culture of clinical supervision.1 Some professions, like counselling, consider supervision to be essential for sustaining reflective practice, and they have made it a requirement for continuing accreditation. Other professions, such as nursing, seem to be moving in that direction.2 Although it is sometimes seen as part of management, clinical supervision is properly regarded as something non-hierarchical, nonjudgmental, and focused on the practitioner rather than the organisation.3 It addresses the need for support and development, and it is also anchored in an awareness of performance standards, patient safety, and public accountability.4Supervision can be used to address the emotional impact of patient encounters, and to examine the technical aspects of case management, and issues within the team and workplace.5 There are many approaches to supervision, including one-to-one sessions or group meetings. These activities all share the same purposes. Morton-Cooper and Palmer6 define these as: clarifying human values;acquiring emotional literacy;recovering meaning in social relationships;providing skill rehearsal and role models;evaluating and disseminating best practice in health care; andprotecting against disorientation, disillusionment, and burnout.Supervision, like any activity, can be done inexpertly or lead to collusion.7,8 However, there is evidence that good supervision contributes to general wellbeing, knowledge, confidence, morale, understanding, self-awareness, job satisfaction, and endurance.9–12Many people are surprised to find that most GPs do not … ER -