Perceptions of clinical supervision held by early-career social workers during times of extreme stress: A thematic analysis

ABSTRACT

This qualitative research study explores perceptions of post-masters, early-career social workers regarding their clinical supervisory relationships during the Covid-19 global pandemic. Twenty-one pre-licensed social workers were interviewed regarding experiences of how their supervisory relationships affected continued professional and personal development during the rapid transition to virtual social work and subsequent stressors of the pandemic. Relational, trauma, and intersectionality theories informed the study. Thematic analysis of the data suggested the presence of stress-related responses associated with the pandemic and shared communal traumas, such as police violence against Black people, anti-Asian hate and violence, and national political unrest. The ability of new social workers to talk openly about intersectionality and other social justice issues with their clinical supervisors created mutual trust, influenced their professional and personal identity development, and contributed to feelings of connection and support within the relationship during times of extreme stress created by the pandemic era. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)