Ever have a day when you avoid looking in the mirror? Maybe you don’t feel at your best. Or perhaps your tendency to focus on perceived flaws makes you dodge this less than ideal experience. Similarly, I sometimes find in clinical supervision that new counselors-in-training resist receiving feedback or “looking in the mirror”. Hardy & Delworth (1982) suggest that beginning counselor supervisees tend to have higher anxiety. Like the mirror dodger, their desire to avoid embarrassment and perceptions of ineptitude result in low levels of readiness to address supervisory issues (Bernard & Goodyear, 2004).

So how do supervisors navigate this dilemma? It is vital to understand that feedback in clinical supervision is a mirror. How? First, it’s hard to embrace without confidence. Second, feedback is not created equal. Quality feedback meets a standard. It must be clear, specific, observed and occur regularly. Finally, effective feedback fosters growth and self-awareness. Turns out that mirrors are really useful!