Reflective Supervision for Emotion Regulation

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Bradley Hospital

Disqualifiers: Not a supervisor in pre-kindergarten

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 10

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial tests a new professional development program for supervisors in state pre-kindergarten programs. The goal is to enhance their skills in Reflective Supervision, a method to improve supervisory interactions, which aims to improve their interactions with teachers and support children's social-emotional development. Participants will either receive this new training or continue with their usual supervision practices, serving as a comparison group. The trial seeks supervisors working in Rhode Island state pre-kindergarten programs. As an unphased trial, it offers supervisors the opportunity to lead educational innovation and directly contribute to improving early childhood education practices.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial information does not specify whether participants need to stop taking their current medications.

What prior data suggests that this Reflective Supervision enhancement is safe for early care and education professionals?

Studies have shown that Reflective Supervision is generally safe. Although specific safety data for the Reflective Supervision Enhancement is lacking, research indicates it is well-tolerated. For example, one study found that reflective supervision was easy to implement and participants found it acceptable, with improvements in supervisory skills. Another study suggested that people involved in reflective supervision felt less frustrated and more satisfied with their jobs. This suggests the process is supportive rather than harmful. Participants in similar programs have not reported significant negative effects, indicating a positive safety profile. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about the Reflective Supervision Enhancement because it goes beyond traditional administrative supervision by equipping supervisors with skills in Reflective Practice and Supervision. This method focuses on building a deeper understanding between supervisors and teachers, potentially leading to improved emotional regulation and a more supportive educational environment. The approach includes a comprehensive training series, combining a foundational day-long session with ongoing monthly workshops, fostering continual development and application of these skills throughout the academic year.

What evidence suggests that the Reflective Supervision Enhancement is effective for improving emotion regulation?

Research has shown that Reflective Supervision positively affects supervisors and teachers in early childhood education. In this trial, some participants will receive the Reflective Supervision Enhancement, designed to improve reflection and enhance supervisory skills. Reflective Supervision also increases confidence in one's abilities and boosts job satisfaction. Additional evidence suggests it helps manage emotions and encourages positive teaching practices. Overall, Reflective Supervision appears promising for improving educators' well-being and the quality of classroom interactions. ^{1 2 3 6 7}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Lindsay P Huffhines, PhD

Principal Investigator

Bradley Hospital

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for supervisors within Rhode Island state pre-kindergarten programs. It aims to enhance early care and education by focusing on professional development, particularly in Reflective Practice and Supervision.

Inclusion Criteria

Supervisor in Rhode Island state pre-kindergarten program

Exclusion Criteria

Does not meet inclusion criteria above

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Foundational Training

Supervisors receive 8 hours of foundational training in Reflective Practice and Supervision prior to the start of the academic year

1 day

1 visit (in-person)

Skill Development Workshops

Nine 2-hour monthly small group workshops focused on skill development in Reflective Supervision

9 months

9 visits (in-person)

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in social-emotional functioning, classroom quality, and other outcomes

3 months

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Reflective Supervision Enhancement

Trial Overview The intervention being tested is a Reflective Supervision Enhancement program. The study will compare outcomes between those receiving this enhancement and those on a waitlist, looking at improvements in supervisory skills, teaching practices, classroom quality, and children's social-emotional development.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Reflective Supervision Enhancement Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

The Reflective Supervision enhancement is a professional development series for supervisors of state pre-kindergarten programs that is designed to build skills in using Reflective Supervision with teachers. The goal of the Reflective Supervision enhancement is to provide supervisors with foundational knowledge in Reflective Practice and Supervision and increase their use of Reflective Supervision principles and practices within their work. The series consists of a day-long foundational training and nine skills-focused workshops. Supervisors are expected to receive 8 hours of foundational training prior to the start of the academic year, and nine 2-hour monthly small groups over the course of the academic year.

Group II: Business-As-Usual Waitlist Control Active Control 1 Intervention

Supervisors in the business-as-usual waitlist control condition will supervise teachers as-per-usual (i.e., using standard administrative supervision), and will be eligible for the typical array of professional development opportunities that may be offered to them. These supervisors will receive the Reflective Supervision enhancement the following academic year.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Bradley Hospital

Lead Sponsor

Trials

22

Recruited

1,900+

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

Collaborator

Trials

2,103

Recruited

2,760,000+

Published Research Related to This Trial

A systematic review of 10 studies and a meta-analysis of 26 studies involving 84 clients showed that therapist methods for emotion regulation (ER) significantly improve patients' ability to manage their emotions, with a large effect size of 0.82 from pre- to post-treatment.

Both affect-focused methods and structured skills training are effective in enhancing emotion regulation, highlighting the importance of considering cultural backgrounds in therapy to tailor approaches for individual patients.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Enhancing emotion regulation. Iwakabe, S., Nakamura, K., Thoma, NC.[2023]

Citations

1. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10837315/

Reflective Supervision and Consultation and its Impact Within ... Results suggested that RS/C was associated with improvements in reflective capacity, skill, or self-efficacy, regardless of whether quantitative or qualitative ...

2. tandfonline.com tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10409289.2024.2424733?src=

Feasibility, Acceptability, and Preliminary Effectiveness of a ... Reflective Supervision (RS) is a favored supervisory approach in early childhood settings given its potential to increase reflective functioning ...

3. withpower.com withpower.com/trial/phase-emotion-regulation-4-2023-9ae92

Reflective Supervision for Emotion Regulation The study will compare outcomes between those receiving this enhancement and those on a waitlist, looking at improvements in supervisory skills, teaching ...

4. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12045004/

Reflective mindfulness and emotional regulation training to ... This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of Reflective Mindfulness and Emotional Regulation Training (RMERT) in improving nursing students' self- ...

5. acf.gov acf.gov/sites/default/files/documents/opre/reflective-supervision-hv.pdf

Reflective Supervision Results from a few studies suggest that reflective supervision may enhance supervisee self-efficacy, reflective practice, and job satisfaction; however, because ...

6. tandfonline.com tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09575146.2025.2515019?src=

Online reflective supervision training with early care and ... The current study presents data from focus groups with 11 ECE supervisors who took part in a 12-week, online, mixed-modality reflective supervision training.

7. tandfonline.com tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10409289.2024.2424733?ai=2h2&mi=5t0s03&af=R

Feasibility, Acceptability, and Preliminary Effectiveness of a ... Research Findings: The RS series was feasible to implement, acceptable to participants, and led to improved reflective supervisory competencies.