Psychology Supervisor Connect and Reflect: Supporting Supervisees working with Neurodivergent Consumers

The Psychology Supervisor Connect and Reflect series supports psychology supervisors to enhance their clinical supervision practice through focused teaching, reflection and practical application. Each session explores a key topic and provides an opportunity to consider how the topic applies to supervision practice.

This session explores how supervisors can support supervisees working with neurodivergent clients through a neurodiversity-informed and reflective lens. Drawing on emerging professional competencies, we will consider how neurodevelopmental differences, language and assumptions influence formulation and clinical decision-making. Through discussion and case-based reflection, participants will explore supervisory strategies that support the development of neurodiversity-informed competencies, strengths-based thinking and responsive clinical practice.

By the end of this session participants will be able to: 
• Describe key principles of neurodiversity-informed supervision and the implications of the APS Neurodiversity-Affirming Psychological Practice Competencies for supervisors.
• Recognise how neurodevelopmental differences may influence client presentation, engagement, formulation and intervention, and how these may emerge in supervision discussions.
• Reflect on how language, assumptions and explanatory models shape formulation, clinical decision-making and influence supervisory conversations.

Presenter Bios:
Ali Crichton

Ali Crichton, PhD, MPsych (Clin Neuro), is a Principal Clinical Educator (Psychology) and Clinical Neuropsychologist at The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne. She leads psychology education and workforce development initiatives and is passionate about supporting reflective practice, supervision and clinician learning. Ali has extensive experience supervising psychologists across stages of training and is particularly interested in neurodevelopment and neurodiversity-affirming practice.

Stephanie Lau 
Stephanie Lau is an educational and developmental psychologist, expert witness and board approved supervisor. She works with individuals over the developmental lifespan who present with complex developmental conditions in specialist paediatric, educational and forensic roles. Stephanie works extensively in an assessment and therapeutic capacity, including as Team Coordinator/Senior Psychologist in the Specialist Autism Team at the Royal Children’s Hospital, the Children’s Court Clinic, the Federal Circuit and Family Court in Melbourne and in private practice.
 

Eligibility criteria:
This session is open to PsyBA approved psychology supervisors working in Victorian public health settings.