Supervision

What is Supervision?

The BACP code of ethics states all counsellors and psychotherapists, regardless of experience, need supervision. It is also seen by many as an ethical imperative. A client who encounters a therapist working without supervision should probably consider carefully whether they wish to work with that therapist. The BACP code of ethics states all counsellors and psychotherapists, regardless of experience, need supervision. It is also seen by many as an ethical imperative. A client who encounters a therapist working without supervision should probably consider carefully whether they wish to work with that therapist.

What are the functions of supervision?

Supervision has three overlapping functions: supportive, formative, and normative, also sometimes referred to as restorative, educative and managerial. For example, helping you to reflect on what happened in a particular session with a client is in part a mutual monitoring of your practice. Talking about your work is also supportive as working with people who need help involves a lot of  emotional energy. Supervision therefore offers you the opportunity to offload in complete confidence.

Will my supervisor tell me what to do?

In the same way that it is not our job as practitioners to tell our clients how to live their lives, as a supervisor I do not see it as my job to tell you how you ‘should’ practise. Rather I see supervision as a collaborative process in which I facilitate you to reflect on your work. As a professional person you have the responsibility for your own practice. Therefore, instead of telling you what to do, I help you reflect and explore all aspects of your work, thus enabling you to learn from your experience and work ethically, safely and effectively.  Any actions that need to be taken may be discussed and reflected on together.

So as a supervisee you play an active role and need to prepare for each session beforehand (See below:  How to get the most out of supervision). Being told what may be going on, or what you should be doing may seem attractive, but will create dependency and prevent you from further developing your own knowledge and expertise. We learn best when we are actively involved, not when we passively receive someone else’s opinions.

Are there different kinds of supervision?

Yes, there is individual as well as group supervision. The UKCP states that group supervision should be on a ratio of a minimum of 30 minutes of supervision per supervisee and that the group should not have more than four members.

How much supervision should I have?

The British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy stipulates that every practitioner should have a minimum of one and a half hours a month. The United Kingdom Central Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) stipulates a one to six ratio for students and those newly qualified.  For experienced practitioners the UKCP leaves the frequency and amount of supervision it to be decided between you and your supervisor. Both the BACP and the UKCP recognize that the amount of supervision you need also depends on your workload, the nature of your work and, your level of experience. The higher your workload and the more stressful the nature of your work (such as working with severely disturbed, traumatized or abused clients, the more supervision you are likely to need.

What is my approach to supervision?

I use the Seven Eyed model (Hawkins and Shohet, 2012).
I see my role very similar to that of the therapist facilitating the journey of the therapist and the client – therapist relationship in turn helping them explore the parallel processes.

Should you require a supervisor or have anymore questions please do feel free to contact me through my contact page or di@tlcpartners.co.uk

What are the functions of supervision?

Supervision has three overlapping functions: supportive, formative, and normative, also sometimes referred to as restorative, educative and managerial. For example, helping you to reflect on what happened in a particular session with a client is in part a mutual monitoring of your practice. Talking about your work is also supportive as working with people who need help involves a lot of  emotional energy. Supervision therefore offers you the opportunity to offload in complete confidence.

Should you require a supervisor or have anymore questions please do feel free to contact me through my contact page or di@tlcpartners.co.uk