Supervision

Supervision – for anyone who works in Therapy, Counselling, a Key Worker position, Human Resources, Media, or with other people.

Supervision is a very diverse field of support as it moulds around the needs of the individual who’s seeking it. You may need a regular space to debrief about the work you’re doing, or to unpick the difficulties you’re finding in separating work life from home life.

As a supervisor I find I’m often used as a third eye to oversee what my client is experiencing. My role is to objectively observe and listen to the information my supervisees share with me. This can be to affirm the good work they’re doing or to notice potential biases or blind spots in their approaches which hampers their professional lives. Supervision is a valuable additional perspective which can be reassuring or reparative to the functioning of a supervisee’s relationships at work. I feel that my aim is to keep an overview on how my supervisees are tackling the issues that arise for them at work. This is often by checking in with them on how they’re managing their administrational, educational and emotional stresses and demands.

In my view, a supervisor is not a mentor, parental figure or teacher. I see my role more as an integral part of the client’s team of support who will provide them with honest and frank reflections on the work they’re doing. If asked, I can also be called upon to suggest further avenues for study or self-development or to offer alternative, ‘outside the box’ ideas for exploration in their specific fields of work.

A supervisor should be someone ethical, encouraging, constructively critical and ultimately on your side to help you conduct yourself as professionally and authentically as possible.