A Neo-Jungian-Informed Approach to Clinical Supervision

Most clinical supervision models center on observation, documentation, and ethical reflection—and rightly so. But what if supervision could also be a place of imaginal depth, spiritual inquiry, and transformation? What if we attended not only to the supervisee’s skills, but also to their symbols, their dreams, and their shadows? A neo-Jungian-informed approach to clinical uspervision goes beyond the basics.

My approach to supervision is grounded in contemporary Neo-Jungian analytical psychology and enriched by psychospiritual and metaphysical frameworks. This model invites the supervisee to engage in an ongoing exploration of their interior landscape, and in doing so, cultivate deeper resonance with their clients, their craft, and their own calling. a Neo-Jungian approach considers Jung’s original constructs and carries those constructs into the work of psychotherapists and psychoanalysts today.

Interior Landscape as Supervision Terrain

In this model, we treat the therapist’s internal responses as valuable data—not just in terms of countertransference, but also in symbolic, somatic, and energetic ways. We ask:

What internal image arose and lingered?
What dream or synchronicity accompanied the client’s story?
What aspect of the therapist’s shadow may have been touched?
What archetypal energy is present but unnamed?

By exploring these questions, supervision moves from performance review to soul-centered mentorship.

Case PREP: A Portal for Introspective Supervision

At the heart of this process is a written reflection tool I call Case PREP, a monthly assignment that supports both clinical clarity and inner awareness. This is more than a form—it’s a container for active imagination.

The form guides the supervisee to:

Reflect on their somatic and emotional state prior to the session
Title and thematize the session (evocative meaning-making)
Examine the psychospiritual dimension of the client’s life (drawing from Fromm and Frankl)
Identify tools and interventions used
Explore transference and countertransference
Note moments of uncertainty, personal resonance, or symbolic imagery
Pose emergent questions for further learning

This written reflection—submitted 24 hours prior to our session—lays the foundation for a more meaningful, present-focused supervision experience.

Shadow Work, Dreams, and the Unspoken

We welcome what many models overlook: the implicit material.

Whether it’s a fragment of a dream, a persistent metaphor, or a moment of dissonance, we explore it. We bring shadow work into the room—not for interpretation alone, but as an invitation to reflect on what may be unconsciously shaping the therapist’s lens. Supervision becomes a space to wrestle with projections, naming them with compassion and curiosity.

Dreamwork is also an optional but frequent feature of our consultations. If supervisees notice significant dreams between sessions—or feel that a client’s dream content echoes their own—we hold that material as potent and instructive.

Not Therapy—But Deeply Therapeutic

While this model does not conflate supervision with therapy, it honors that the professional and personal are often intertwined. The clinical gaze is enriched by personal reflection, and the supervisee’s growth is seen as integral to the clinical process itself.

A Word to Supervisors

If you’re guiding others through licensure or mentorship, this model of clinical supervision offers you a way to expand supervision itself—from oversight to insight. You’ll be supported in cultivating a generative presence, one that fosters vulnerability, resilience, and meaning-making in those you supervise.

Supervision, in this framework, becomes what it always had the potential to be: A sacred encounter with psyche, soul, and the slow unfolding of wisdom.