Bidirectional Intersectional Supervision: Redefining Power and Equity for Black Clinicians

ABSTRACT Traditional clinical supervision models in Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) often reinforce hierarchical norms that marginalize Black clinicians' cultural knowledge and lived experience. This article presents the Bidirectional Intersectional Supervision (BIS) Model, an equity‐centered framework grounded in Black feminist epistemologies. BIS reimagines supervision as a collaborative, relational process structured around three core commitments: epistemic justice, intersectional reflexivity, and relational accountability. Through practices such as reciprocal learning, collaborative decision‐making, reciprocal feedback, and integration of new knowledge, BIS transforms supervision into a site of mutual growth, critical inquiry, and structural resistance. The model offers practical strategies for supervisors while addressing institutional and socio‐political barriers to implementation. By embedding justice into the supervision pedagogy, BIS advances more inclusive and culturally responsive clinical training, affirming the knowledge contributions of marginalized supervisees as central, not supplemental, to therapeutic competence.

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Publication Details

Journal
Journal of Family Theory & Review
Published
2025-10-10
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1111/jftr.70008
Citations
1
Primary Topic
Counseling Practices and Supervision
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
2.44

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article

Bidirectional Intersectional Supervision: Redefining Power and Equity for Black Clinicians

Lastenia Francis
1 citations
Journal of Family Theory & Review
Counseling Practices and Supervision
2.44
article

Bidirectional Intersectional Supervision: Redefining Power and Equity for Black Clinicians

Lastenia Francis
article en
1 citations

Abstract

ABSTRACT Traditional clinical supervision models in Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) often reinforce hierarchical norms that marginalize Black clinicians' cultural knowledge and lived experience. This article presents the Bidirectional Intersectional Supervision (BIS) Model, an equity‐centered framework grounded in Black feminist epistemologies. BIS reimagines supervision as a collaborative, relational process structured around three core commitments: epistemic justice, intersectional reflexivity, and relational accountability. Through practices such as reciprocal learning, collaborative decision‐making, reciprocal feedback, and integration of new knowledge, BIS transforms supervision into a site of mutual growth, critical inquiry, and structural resistance. The model offers practical strategies for supervisors while addressing institutional and socio‐political barriers to implementation. By embedding justice into the supervision pedagogy, BIS advances more inclusive and culturally responsive clinical training, affirming the knowledge contributions of marginalized supervisees as central, not supplemental, to therapeutic competence.

Journal of Family Theory & ReviewVol. 17(4)
Syracuse University (US)
Syracuse University
Openalex Percentile: Top 9%
Counseling Practices and Supervision
2.44
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