Trinity Lutheran Seminary

Summary Overview of the Supervisory Session

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General
  • It is highly recommended that the supervisory session be a weekly, 1 to 1 and 1/2 hour meeting between intern and supervisor.
  • This is not "staff time" to plan the week's work, etc.  Rather, it is the intern's chance to discuss situations which arise during internship and to discuss theological and pastoral issues.
  • Find "neutral ground" for the meeting, where there will be no interruptions.


Intern's Preparation: Content

It is strongly suggested that the intern prepare a one-page, written report regarding a situation she/he would like to discuss during the session.  The report would consist of:

  1. one paragraph describing the situation,
  2. one paragraph of analysis of the situation including the professional and personal issues relating thereto, and
  3. one paragraph evaluating the situation, the intern's action, etc.
  • Intern provides this report to the supervisor at least 24 hours prior to the meeting.
  • The intern's initiative in setting the content agenda is important for empowering the intern as learner.

 

Supervisor's Preparation: Structure
  • Assuming that the supervisor receives the report enough in advance, s/he can then prepare the structure of the meeting.
  • The supervisor writes a "lesson plan" for the hour.  Mental designing is good, but writing it usually fosters greater clarity.
  • The supervisor may choose to think about some questions to ask the intern to further the learning process, may seek resources from his/her library or think of personnel resources for reference, suggest follow-up topics or activities, etc.


Outline of Supervisory Session

Generally, the following procedure is recommended, leading the supervisor and intern through preparation, the session itself, and reflection afterwards:

  1. Intern selects issue.
  2. Intern defines issue by writing report.
  3. Supervisor reviews report and prepares structure of session.
  4. Session takes place.
  5. Supervisor guides intern's exploration of the issue.
  6. Sharing by supervisor of thoughts, experiences, insights, and resources which might aid learning.
  7. Dialogue between supervisor and intern.
  8. Summary of session, probably led by supervisor with response from intern.
  9. Supervisor and intern reflect individually on how the session went.
  10. Possibilities for "second thought" sharing afterwards.