My Philosophy of Supervision
My philosophy of supervision rests on the idea that reality is co-created; that when the core conditions of respect, empathy and congruence and a secure supervisory bond is established the supervisee can grow and develop their skills and insights as a practitioner. Ultimately the aim of supervision is to provide the best possible service to the supervisee’s client, protect the client and support the growth and development of the supervisee. As the client’s best interest can only be served well by the supervisee’s continuing development and growth.
It is for this reason that I require all supervisees to belong to a professional body and abide by that professional body’s professional and ethical guidelines.
What is Supervision?
Supervision is where a practitioner meets with a more experienced practitioner on a regular contractual basis and sometimes with peers or in a group. Supervision meetings can include clinical and case supervision, personal & professional development of the supervisee, development of the trainee therapist, understanding the relationship between theory and practice, skill acquisition and experiential learning and ensuring ethical standards are abided by or in other words ‘quality control’.
Aim of Supervision
My aim is to work towards developing a relationship of trust and mutual respect where you can reflect safely on any aspect of your client relationship and profession. In other words you will feel safe enough to talk about and reflect on uncertainty, possible mistakes and ethical dilemmas.
If you are in training or an inexperienced supervisee you will need support such as more reassurance and direction, help with interventions, boundary keeping and anxiety management. Whereas if you are an experienced supervisee the purpose of supervision may be more about gaining ethical competence, confidence, compassion and creativity.
Sometimes the context that the supervisee works in and the organisational expectations of the supervisor may impact on the function of supervision. There may also be situations in which a supervisor holds a dual role as a line manager. It is therefore very important that expectations of supervision both by the supervisee and supervisor are clarified. Clarity about what the supervisor can offer and what the supervisee is looking for will help us work out whether there is a good enough match between us so that effective supervision can take place.
So contracting with your supervisor is essential for the establishment of a strong supervisory alliance. As I work as an integrative, relational supervisor anxiety about integrating therapeutic models is reduced and can help to provide new perspectives on practice. In other words supervision can help supervisees consider different theoretical perspectives. I integrate psychodynamic, psycho-analytic, behavioural, cognitive and humanistic approaches.
