Reflective team supervision after a frightening event on a psychiatric crisis service.

OBJECTIVE

The authors demonstrate the value of reflective team supervision as part of the informal curriculum in an emergency psychiatry setting after a potentially traumatizing adverse event.

METHOD

The article gives a case presentation of a violent adolescent who eloped from his hospital Emergency Department and provides a description of team supervision sessions that facilitated informal learning for residents and medical students after this event.

RESULTS

Reflective team supervision sessions after this event resulted both in improved resident well-being and learning opportunities, as well as hospital quality improvement designed to prevent future elopements.

CONCLUSIONS

Reflective team supervision can be an essential component of trainee education to enhance residents' well-being and to promote both systems-based practice and practice-based learning. This can be an excellent forum to explore themes of humility, self-reflection, and professional growth.