Speak Out June 2021

Mentoring & Supervision

Changes to the supervision register and find a mentor search

The Association has long recommended that speech pathologists engage in professional support, like supervision and mentoring, throughout their career. The updated Professional Standards 2020 emphasise this responsibility by stating that, "We participate in professional development, supervision and/or mentoring to develop knowledge and skills relevant to our roles and to maintain currency" (domain 2.4). This is especially true when starting in the profession as an early career member or when commencing a new practice area. It can be difficult to find mentors or supervisors with the experience needed to support a speech pathologist’s individual circumstances. SPA’s online Supervision Register and Find a Mentor search were recently updated to increase functionality and improve members’ ability to identify the specific support they require. These changes include: Specific search results Users can now input multiple areas of practice and non- clinical mentoring areas in one search. For example, someone seeking supervision support in AAC, autism, and childhood apraxia of speech can input each of these criteria at once, which will only show supervisors who have experience in all three. This feature increases the accuracy

of search results and decreases the time required to identify specific support. Individualised information Both online features now permit mentors and supervisors to include information that would not be captured by the typical search criteria. Participants have been encouraged to input details like their skills in serving different clinical populations and communities, experience in areas that are not specific to speech pathology, training in different techniques and approaches, or certifications they hold. Members can find these personalised descriptions under the 'other information’ section of a mentor’s or supervisor’s profile. Members can also contact the Professional Support Advisor, psa@speechpathologyaustralia.org.au for help in identifying the support that will be the best fit for them. More information about professional support, including supervision standards and FAQs, templates, and mentoring readiness quizzes can be found on the Clinical Supervision and Mentoring webpages. Nathan Cornish-Raley Professional Support Advisor

35

June 2021 | Speak Out