Summary of - The 6-Frame Model: Transforming Supervision with Creative Interprofessional Methodologies

Title of Original: The 6-Frame Model: Transforming Supervision with Creative Interprofessional Methodologies
Authors: Delores Crerar
Journal: Journal of Social Care, Volume 5, Article 4 (January 2025)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21427/6srw-w740

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Why This Matters - Offers a structured, creative supervision framework integrating constructivist, interpretivist and critical realist thinking to deepen reflection, ethics and interprofessional practice.

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Read Time - 8 Minutes

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The article introduces the 6-Frame Model, a creative, interprofessional framework for supervision developed within a community-based family support service. It is grounded in constructivist, interpretivist, and critical realist perspectives, integrating these to support reflective dialogue, critical inquiry, and informed decision-making. The model emphasises the use of creative modalities to support supervisee insight, communication, and professional development, while also ensuring practice remains theoretically and ethically robust.

The abstract outlines the six stages of the model—Invite, Initiate, Engage, Reflect, Explore, and Apply—and explains how they align with differing epistemological positions. Constructivist elements shape the initial stages, interpretivist approaches inform the middle reflective phases, and critical realism guides deeper exploration and application. Creative supervision is defined as a process that draws on expressive and imaginative modalities to enhance self-awareness and growth, supported by ethical and culturally responsive practice. The article positions the model as timely given increasing complexity in health, social care, counselling, and psychotherapeutic settings.

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The introduction reviews literature identifying limitations of traditional verbal supervision and outlining the benefits of creative methods. Multiple studies are referenced to demonstrate how creative interventions can improve insight, reflective capacity, and supervisee satisfaction. Research is cited across expressive arts, mixed-methods designs, comparative analyses, and trauma-informed approaches. Authors highlight the need for supervisors to maintain ethical boundaries, be transparent about expectations, and navigate power dynamics sensitively. Literature on cultural responsiveness emphasises the importance of engaging meaningfully with issues of race, ethnicity, and broader diversity.

A comparative table summarises different creative supervision approaches, techniques, benefits, and limitations across key authors. The article synthesises findings showing that while creative approaches can facilitate emotional processing, reflective practice, and trauma stewardship, many require specialist training or strong supervisory flexibility. Common limitations include the need for creativity, ethical competence, and adaptation across diverse professional contexts.

The author then discusses the development of the 6-Frame Model, drawing on two decades of supervisory practice and postgraduate training. Early use of creative techniques—such as body mapping, symbolic image creation, and role-play—highlighted the need to maintain clear boundaries between supervision and therapy. Additional training helped refine the model and establish guiding principles. These include defining supervision objectives, maintaining structured sessions, adhering to ethical frameworks, ensuring role clarity, and recognising transference, resonance, and power dynamics. Feedback from supervisees supported iterative adjustments, particularly the need for extended sessions when working with novice practitioners.

Table 2 outlines the six frames of the model with associated objectives and components. “Invite” establishes context and consent; “Initiate” introduces tools and expectations; “Engage” facilitates experiential creative processes; “Reflect” examines process and outcomes; “Explore” deepens contextual and interpretive insights; and “Apply” translates learning into practical and ethical actions. Each frame contributes to structured, ethical implementation of creative supervision.

The article next situates the model within the evolution of interprofessional supervision. It summarises literature tracing its emergence and highlighting its potential to enhance communication, decision-making, and problem-solving across multidisciplinary teams. Challenges include aligning practices with organisational guidelines, ensuring familiarity with professional standards, and establishing supervision contracts. Creative methodologies are presented as complementary tools that deepen insight and support collaborative, reflexive learning.

The theoretical underpinnings of the 6-Frame Model are then explored in depth. The constructivist foundation supports co-construction of knowledge and scaffolding of learning through early frames. Interpretivist approaches encourage contextualised meaning-making through creative processes and reflective dialogue. Critical realism informs later stages by helping supervisees identify underlying mechanisms and systemic influences affecting practice. A table outlines strengths and limitations of each epistemological and ontological perspective.

Further sections address supervisory dynamics, ethical dialogue, decision-making frameworks, and interprofessional considerations. The article highlights the importance of structured supervision, supervisory alliances, contracting, and cultural responsiveness. Table 4 maps epistemological, ontological, and axiological positions across various professions to support interprofessional understanding and communication.

The conclusion summarises implications for supervisory relationships, supervisee differences, ethical boundaries, organisational factors, and resource considerations. It affirms that the 6-Frame Model aligns with existing literature on reflective, culturally responsive, and creative supervision and recommends future research on cross-cultural applications, specialised populations, and long-term outcomes.