AM I SAFE HERE? Inclusive Supervision in SLP – Reflections from ISHA 2026

Published in the March 2026 issue of the ISHA Voice. 

By Angela Riccelli, co-chair of the DE&I Committee

At this year’s Illinois Speech-Language-Hearing Association Convention, I had the opportunity to present alongside colleagues from the DE&I Committee on a topic that continues to surface in quiet conversations with students: “Am I safe here?” That question became the anchor for our session on inclusive supervision.

We began with the “why.” Our field continues to struggle with underrepresentation as racial and ethnic minorities, males, individuals with disabilities and neurodivergence, and LGBTQ+ clinicians remain significantly underrepresented in speech-language pathology (ASHA, 2025). At the same time, our graduate programs and clinical training models often assume that supervision is neutral. It’s not. Research tells us that supervision can be stressful on both sides, but for marginalized graduate students, it can also be isolating and, at times, traumatic (Mancinelli & Kneavel, 2021; Roberts, 2023). Microaggressions, ableist structures, unclear expectations, and subtle othering compound that stress. Many students are not only navigating competency development, but also, belonging.

So, what do we mean by inclusive supervision?

In our session, we defined it as the intentional adaptation of supervisory practices to recognize, value, and respond to students’ diverse identities, learning needs, and lived experiences. It means equitable access to opportunities. It means culturally responsive feedback. It means flexibility without lowering standards. Inclusive supervision is not a one-time training. It is not “extra.” And it certainly is not avoiding hard conversations.

We also grounded the conversation in the realities of student preparation. Graduate clinicians complete 400 supervised hours under the 2020 certification standards set by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Supervisors must hold the CCC-SLP and meet continuing education requirements. Yet many of us received substantial training in clinical practice, but minimal formal training in “how to supervise”. Much of what we do is learned on the fly. That gap matters.

We spent time unpacking three key areas: training, feedback, and relationships.

Training. Research suggests that supervisor preparation is variable, often ad hoc, and influenced by time and financial constraints (Falender, 2018; Choi & Lee, 2023). If we believe supervision shapes the next generation of clinicians, then training in supervision should be woven into both graduate education and continuing education and not treated as optional.

Feedback. Many supervisors soften feedback to preserve rapport. Others rely heavily on one style. Students, meanwhile, may fear feedback or interpret it as personal failure. We encouraged shifting from transactional feedback (“Here’s what you did wrong”) to conversational feedback. Make expectations explicit. Normalize growth. Invite feedback in return. Assess a student’s readiness to receive it. Feedback should move in both directions.

Relationships. Rapport is not automatic. Psychological safety does not magically appear. It requires early and intentional investment. Know your student’s ports of entry. Invite discussion about belonging. Be transparent about evaluation processes. Prioritize mentorship. When students feel safe, learning accelerates.

We closed the session with a simple toolkit:

• Stop assuming supervision skills develop automatically.
• Stop assuming students understand unspoken expectations.
• Stop assuming avoiding discomfort protects relationships.

• Start making the implicit explicit.
• Start normalizing growth-focused dialogue.
• Start reflecting as often as you evaluate.
• Start co-constructing the learning environment.

Inclusive supervision starts with us. It asks us to be reflective, culturally humble, transparent, and willing to examine our own power in the supervisory relationship. It does not lower standards. In fact, it strengthens them because students who feel psychologically safe are more likely to take risks, integrate feedback, and grow into competent, ethical clinicians.

The question “Am I safe here?” may never be spoken out loud. But our supervisory practices answer it every day.

QR code for access to our presentation slides from 2-20-2026 ISHA Convention.