Multidisciplinary mental health supervision in a rural context: An exploratory study of experiences in northern British Columbia

The purpose of this study was to better understand how multidisciplinary mental health supervision might work in rural remote settings. There is a need for supervisory approaches that address the unique contextual challenges in rural and remote multidisciplinary service delivery, such as management approaches, isolation, and lack of support. This study focused on three areas linked to multidisciplinary mental health supervision: challenges and opportunities, role perception, and differences in approaches. This study also attempted to reconcile the core supervisory requirements with the contextual challenges. The few studies on rural remote supervision have primarily focused on general internal and external factors facing rural remote professionals. Despite its importance, knowledge of how multidisciplinary rural remote supervisors perceive and/or appreciate their roles is limited. This study was informed by social construction and symbolic interaction theories, and guided by three research questions: 1) What challenges and opportunities do mental health supervisors experience in northern British Columbia? 2) How do frontline workers, supervisors, and senior managers perceive the roles and activities of mental health supervisors in northern British Columbia? 3) How are supervisory approaches in various mental health disciplines different or similar in northern British Columbia? The research methodology was qualitative and the study design adopted an interpretive, social interactionist approach. Source triangulation enhanced both the credibility and transferability of the findings. The sources included three participant groups: frontline mental health workers, mental health supervisors, and senior mental health managers. Another triangulation source was the context and setting review of BC’s complex mental health jurisdictions. Triangulation was also achieved by interviewing participants who worked in different settings, organizations, and geographic locations. Thematic analysis was used for data analysis resulting in 11 manifest themes and the following five latent themes: Difficult, overwhelming responsibilities; stressful, complicated decision making; the endless campaign for professional leadership support; mentorship in remote practice; and a struggle in collaborative plurality. Most of the participants expressed the wish for more support in their professional work. The findings from this study provide employers with new insights into multidisciplinary supervisory work and also emphasize the need for practical and specific ideas for much needed support for rural remote supervisors.