Supervision for Coaches, Psychotherapists and Counsellors

I work with individuals and groups as a supervisor for coaching and clinical practice. I aim to provide a valuable and enlivening experience for practitioners who want to grow their practice, deepen their understanding and enhance the effectiveness of their work with their clients. My experience from my psychotherapeutic and constellations work informs my approach as a supervisor. Often, coaching practitioners, without psychological training, work with me to develop their understanding of the psycho-emotional dynamics within their coaching relationships. I work with experienced Life and Executive Coaches and Psychotherapists/Counsellors* as well as those who are building up their professional practice and confidence.

I see my role as the supervisor being that of someone who is alongside the coach/therapist/counsellor looking at their work, reflecting together and questioning the work so that we can learn from it and can be sure that the clients are receiving best practice. It is a co-operative exercise in which the client's wellbeing and benefit is the primary concern. I find the 7-eye model developed by Peter Hawkins and Robin Shohet useful as a guide to our work as this ensures that we explore all aspects of the practitioner: client relationship and context, as well as what emerges between the supervisor and the supervisee. I also like the model [defined by B. Proctor] that supervision should be normative (assuring standards of practice and protective of the client), formative (developmental for the practitioner) and restorative (leaving the practitioner with a renewed or enhanced enthusiasm for their work).

Sessions tend to be of 1.5 hour duration, at a frequency that is relevant to supporting your practice, so is dependent on the size of your case load. With those in training or building up their practice, the sessions can be monthly or more frequent, and of an hour duration.

I personally have my own one to one, and peer supervision every month.

* Psychotherapists and Counsellors should note that I am currently, in 2011, taking a sabbatical from my registration as a Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapist.