Clinical supervision in mental health nursing courses

The Department of Health (DoH, 1994) advocated the introduction of clinical supervision into mental health nursing practice and suggested that student nurses be prepared in what to expect from this process. The ENB (1995) supported this recommendation but has offered no guidelines on how it is meant to be implemented. This article reports on an educational initiative in which group supervision was implemented within one cohort of preregistration mental health nursing students. The students reported a number of perceived benefits: a greater understanding of the purpose and benefits of clinical supervision; skill development; the opportunity to reflect on practice; and the reduction of stress.