Supervision
What is Supervision?
BACP describes supervision as:
‘a specialised form of professional mentoring provided for practitioners responsible for undertaking challenging work with people. Supervision is provided to: ensure standards; enhance quality and creativity; and enable the sustainability and resilience of the work being undertaken’.
BACP, 2018
Whilst the counselling relationship is two-way involving counsellor and client, the supervision process is always three-way. I will be holding the space for you to bring you in relation to your clients so that you have the optimum resources to carry out your client work.
Should you wish me to provide you with supervision, I would like to be able to offer you:
• A safe space to bring any issues that have come to the foreground in your practice
• A place where you can discuss any issue that has come up in your client work, whether you feel you have made a mistake or whether you feel you have done a brilliant job
• The chance to consider how you are developing alongside your clients and to explore any new or ongoing issues that are helping or hindering you in the process of understanding them
• My integrity, warmth, respect and curiosity. My aim is to walk alongside you, with us both searching for a clearer understanding of you in relation to your clients, myself and the wider world. There may be clues in our relationship or your personal life that are rich ground for challenging client work and together we will expect the unexpected
• The practical help that can sometimes be needed when ethical or legal issues arise
BACP have a number of resources which fully describe how supervision can be of use and what you might expect of the supervisory relationship.
