Managers ’ Micro-Communities Matter: The Impact of Clinical Supervision Team on Therapist Perception of the Organization

AbstractPositive organizational climate — employee perceptions of their work environment and the impact of this environment on well-being and functioning — is associated with desirable organizational and client-level outcomes in mental health organizations. Clinical supervisors are well-positioned to impact organizational climate, as they serve as intermediaries between higher-level administrators who drive the policies and procedures and the therapists impacted by such decisions. This cross-sectional study examined the role of clinical supervisors as drivers of therapist perceptions of organizational climate within supervisory teams. Specifically, the present study investigated: (1) shared perceptions of organizational climate among therapists on the same supervisory team; (2) predictors of therapist climate perceptions. Eighty-six therapists were supervised by 22 supervisors. Indices of interrater agreement and interrate r reliability of therapists on the same supervisory team were examined to determine shared or distinct perceptions of organizational climate. Multi-level models were used to examine whether supervisor attitudes towards evidence-based practices and therapist perceptions of supervisor communication pr edicted perceived organizational climate. Results showed perceptions of organizational cohesion and autonomy were shared among therapists on the same supervisory team and distinct from therapists on different supervisory teams. Therapist perceptions of their...
Source: Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research - Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research