Reflective Supervision Symposium

The 7th Biennial Reflective Supervision/Consultation Symposium: Summer 2026!

Location and Co-Host To Be Determined

The Reflective Supervision/Consultation Symposium is a collaborative event that is co-hosted by the Alliance and a different Alliance member association on a biennial basis.

  • The first Symposium was co-hosted with the Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI in August 2016.  

  • The second Symposium took place at the University of Minnesota's Center for Early Education and Development in August 2017 and was co-hosted with the Minnesota Association for Children's Mental Health - Infant and Early Childhood.  

  • The third Symposium took place at the School of Mines in Golden, Colorado in August 2018, and included an intentional focus on diversity, equity and inclusion and was co-hosted with the Colorado Association for Infant Mental Health.

  • The fourth Symposium occurred in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in July 2019 and was co-hosted with the Pennsylvania Association for Infant Mental Health.

  • The fifth Symposium will took place in Memphis, Tennessee and was offered virtually, across four time zones, in June 2022 and was co-hosted with the Association of Infant Mental Health in Tennessee.

  • The sixth Symposium took place in July 2024, in Montclair, New Jersey and included a focus on multi-disciplinary providers of reflective supervision/consultation and was co-hosted with the New Jersey Association for Infant Mental Health.

What is Reflective Supervision/Consultation (RSC)?

The Alliance is committed to the understanding and use of RSC, which is distinct due to the shared exploration of the parallel process. That is, attention to all of the relationships is important, including the ones between practitioner and supervisor, between practitioner and parent, and between parent and infant/toddler. It is critical to understand how each of these relationships affects the others. Of additional importance, reflective supervision/consultation relates to professional and personal development within one’s discipline by attending to the emotional content of the work and how reactions to the content affect the work. Finally, there is often greater emphasis on the supervisor/consultant’s ability to listen and wait, allowing the supervisee to discover solutions, concepts and perceptions on his/her own without interruption from the supervisor/consultant.