“Supervision is essential to how practitioners sustain good practice throughout their working life. Supervision provides practitioners with regular and ongoing opportunities to reflect in depth about all aspects of their practice in order to work as effectively, safely and ethically as possible. Supervision also sustains the personal resourcefulness required to undertake the work.”

BACP Ethical Framework

You will probably be aware of your professional body’s requirements for supervision.

The BACP guidelines are that “All counsellors, psychotherapists, trainers and supervisors are required to have regular and on-going formal supervision/consultative support for their work in accordance with professional requirements.” (BACP (2010), BACP Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling & Psychotherapy, 4th ed. England: BACP.)

I am an experienced Supervisor, and work primarily with the well known 7-eyed model of Supervision (Hawkins’ and McMahon), and also the Integrative Developmental Model (IDM – Stoltenberg & McNeill).  All of my supervision is done online.

I believe that the most important function in supervision is to achieve a balance of the formative, normative and restorative functions, so that the supervisee feels supported, reassured and re-energised, but also challenged when appropriate and encouraged to maintain professional ethics and to continuously develop their ongoing professionalism.

It is important that the supervisee feels their supervision sessions provide a positive experience.  My style is quite relaxed, and I always try to encourage supervisees to acknowledge what they are doing well, and to consider how their clients could be better supported in challenging situations.

Obviously, client welfare is of prime importance.  But it is also essential that the supervisee is okay!

I will help you remain within the boundaries of your ethical framework, to develop your therapeutic skills and clinical practice, and to provide positive ongoing support.

Please Get In Touch if you would like to explore establishing a supervisory relationship with me. I offer a free of charge initial appointment where we can discuss your requirements.

The function of Supervision

Educational:
To stimulate critical thinking about the relationship between theory and practice
Reflective:
(a) to consider how the student’s own values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviours impact on the therapeutic process; and,
(b) reflection on and evaluation of practice
Developmental:
To facilitate student development as ethical, competent accountable practitioners
Supportive:
To consider student personal and professional wellbeing with respect to client work
Managerial:

To have due regard to the needs of the client, the student, the course, the placement, the profession and society at large in accordance with the Ethical Framework of the professional organisation.