Description
A one-year supervised practice at the beginning of a young psychologist’s career is critical in terms of high-quality psychological services but it is not yet introduced in all areas because the number of qualified mentors is insufficient. The objective of the project is to improve mental health services, and the aim is to develop a comprehensive training programme for mentors and test the model of supervised practice and supervision of mentors. In the training programme mentors will learn what competences unexperienced psychologists need to developed, how to create a supportive mentoring environment, and they will also upgrade their competence of self-care and mental health promotion for their mentees and clients. Mentors will test their qualifications by supervising three mentees in the course of one year. The project will include 25 mentors, 6 supervisors of mentors, 75 psychologists-beginners and 50 other psychologists, altogether around 155 psychologists. The project will benefit clients of psychologists in all areas of psychological work. Training of mentors and supervisors will largely be carried out in collaboration with experts from Norway. The Norwegian psychological association (NPA) will bring their expertise and experience in the field of supervision and supervised practice.
Summary of project results
Psychologists work in many different fields and therefore psychological services can impact many areas of people’s lives. One way to support high quality psychological services is one-year supervision of novice psychologists. In Slovenia, not all novice psychologists receive supervision, or supervisors are not properly trained. The project set up a system of supervised practice which all novice psychologists can enter. The project’s ultimate objective was to improve mental health services through developing capacities of mental health professionals, i.e. psychologists. The project had a large impact on the quality of psychologists’ work. Altogether, 91 psychologists were trained in supervision and mental health topics, and 73 novice psychologists received supervision. A comprehensive 160-hour educational programme for supervisors was developed and 25 supervisors and 6 supervisors of supervisors were trained. Additionally, 73 other psychologists received training in selected mental health topics. A system of supervised practice of psychologists was set up: (i) forms and instruments for supporting supervision and its documenting, and guidelines and instructions for supervised practice implementation were developed, (ii) a web platform was developed where the information about supervised practice and the developed materials were published; (ii) a model of supervision was developed and tested, and (iii) a model of supervision of supervision was developed and tested. Professional public, general public and competent authorities were informed about the importance of supervised practice with promotional materials, presentations at conferences and public events, and through media and meetings. Slovenian project partners developed the supervisor training in collaboration with Norwegian Psychological Association. Based on Norwegian experiences, Slovenian partners developed a system of supervised practice adapted to the Slovenian context. The main benefit was in raising the awareness among Slovenian psychologists that supervision is a necessary part of professional development and a precondition for high-quality work. Norwegian Psychological Association’s position on the importance of high professional standards was spread to Slovenia. Norwegian solutions served as a model, and so the Association strengthened its status in Europe. Supervisor training in Norway was upgraded based on the findings of this project.
Summary of bilateral results
Slovenian project partners and Norwegian Psychological Association (NPA) collaborated in developing a supervisor training programme and the materials that can be used in supervision. Together they prepared Guidelines for the implementation of supervised practice of psychologists and a book titled Development of a system of supervised practice of psychologists in Slovenia. Countries exchanged their knowledge on different aspects of supervision (NPA used the obtained knowledge about the competence model in their own supervision practice, and Slovenian project partners used Norwegian knowledge, experience and practice in supervision skills and methods when developing the supervisor training and a system of supervised practice). With bilateral funds a conference on supervised practice (with international participation) will be organized in August 2017. The results of the project will be jointly presented to conference participants, and Slovenian and Norwegian partners will deepen their collaboration with joint appearance. Collaboration with Norwegian partners contributed to the visibility of the project in Slovenia and to the awareness of Slovene psychologists that supervision is important. Bilateral activities were presented to Norwegian professional audience. Furthermore, the status of both countries in the European Federation of Psychologists’ Associations (EFPA) has strengthened. Common good practices are now more easily shared with other European psychologists. Based on the successful project results, common initiatives have been started at the level of EFPA to develop a system of supervised practice and educational programmes for supervisors at the European level.