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.