Senior Associates - Lead Facilitators

Sue Harvey

Registered Nurse, Registered Midwife, Bachelor of Nursing, Graduate Certificate in Child & Family Health Nursing, Certificate IV in Workplace Training & Assessment, Master of Nursing (Hons), Private Practice.

Sue has worked as a nurse and midwife since registration in the early 1980’s with experience in NSW, ACT and NT.  Sue has a strong interest in improving care for families with complex healthcare needs as reflected in Masters’ research on the experiences of mothers receiving opioid treatment as they accessed services in the perinatal period. Sue was a Child and Family Health Clinical Nurse Consultant in Western Sydney and enjoyed educating and supporting the development of staff and fulfilling this leadership role.

In 2003, Sue’s curiosity about CS accessed by mental health nurses and allied health colleagues in community health led to the start of group CS for nurses. The positive benefits resulted in the initial training of supervisors for broader implementation. Further supervisor training via Clinical Supervision for Role Development Training was pivotal to a shift in the focus of Sue’s work.  Since 2011, Sue has contributed to the development of policy and other resources including The Superguide: A Supervision Continuum for Nurses and Midwives’ (2013), CS Framework for Victorian Mental Health Nurses 2018 (expert panel), and input into the Position Statement on CS (ACM, ACMHN, ACN, 2019). Sue has undertaken doctoral level research into program design for developing midwives as CS supervisors. The research aim was to gain deeper understanding of the learning approach and components needed to prepare confident and competent supervisors.

Sue takes a lead with Paul in consultancy work to support strategic planning and implementation of CS (see Consultation). Highlights include consultancy on implementation of the CS Framework for Victorian MHNs (2018), and collaboration with the Chief Nursing and Midwifery Office, ACT Health Directorate on a CS Pilot Project (July 2020 – June 2021) and ongoing implementation. Sue contributed to development of CS Standards for Victorian MHNs and led the Clinical Supervision Framework for ACT Nurses and Midwives (2022).

Sue has been a CSC Lead Facilitator of supervisor training since 2016, with a role in program and resource development, and facilitator learning. Sue was a foundational Management Committee Member of the Australian Clinical Supervision Association and contributes to the sharing of knowledge about CS via peer-reviewed journal articles, webinars, and conference presentations.

I am passionate that quality CS becomes an accepted part of professional practice because of the benefits I continue to experience as a supervisee. It is a privilege to be a supervisor and training facilitator and a joy to witness light bulb moments and transformative outcomes. I really value how the Role Development Model provides a purposeful framework that supports envisioning and implementing change (starting with yourself), and the deeper knowing that comes from creative engagement in CS.

Christina Cairns

Registered Nurse, Bachelor of Nursing, Post-graduate Certificate in Women’s Health. Private Practice.

Chris completed part-time caring for patients within a sub-acute setting in bayside Victoria in mid-2023 to concentrate on her private practice. Her passion includes providing leadership and support to the emerging health workforce through the introduction of Clinical Supervision (CS) as an essential wellbeing strategy into areas of general nursing. Chris created a CS pilot project for graduate nurses in 2018 and has also facilitated CS for nursing students and other disciplines within her network.

Chris developed a virtual ‘safe place’ for staff navigating the stressors and challenges of working within a marginalised community, reinforcing the privilege of the supportive supervisor role.

Chris was involved in a consultation project undertaken by CSC about CS implementation following the 2018 release of Clinical Supervision for Mental Health Nurses: a framework for Victoria. She has expert skills in the Role Development Model and the facilitation of supervisor training. Chris has facilitated over 70 individual workshops with Paul, assisting with the development of more than 170 ACT supervisors. She co-facilitated the inaugural ACT Clinical Supervision Symposium in December 2022, and has a strong liaison role with the ACT Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer, CS Coordinator and project officers. Chris is a lead facilitator of foundational and ongoing training, and is involved in the support and ongoing development of co-facilitators.

I like to think that Clinical Supervision found me…at a time when I was looking for ways to help nurture my colleagues and myself. In a profession that has become increasingly overstretched and under-resourced, CS has encouraged me to ’slow down’ for long enough to hear my own voice again amongst the ‘noise’ within my workplace. The Role Development Model has provided a structure and framework that allows me to view the world through the eyes of those I sit with, in a safe, supervision space. I’m inspired by their strength and resilience, which fuels my passion for this work.