Supervision

I offer supervision to counsellors and psychotherapists. Supervision is a professional relationship between the supervisor and counsellor/psychotherapist supervisee. It is an environment within which different therapeutic relationships can be explored in depth, new skills and alternative perspectives acquired and professional and personal development enhanced.

Thirty years working as a counsellor, seven years facilitating the supervision group at Portsmouth Area Rape Crisis Service, along with over twenty years working as a supervisor and counsellor in private practice has reinforced my belief that regardless of experience, all counsellors and psychotherapists need supervision. Moreover, adhering to the BACP code of ethics, it is an ethical imperative.

The supervision I provide is integrative, offering a warm and professional relationship, drawing on a range of skills and techniques. I remember reading once that theoretical models are simply reflections of the personalities who created them. I guess that is how I would explain my model of working, a reflection of the skills and experience I have gathered over a number of years.

I never forget that you are the therapist in the room with your clients. You will ultimately know them better than I do. My role is to oversee your work and to highlight areas that you may have been too close to see clearly.

I view the supervision process as having two values. The first is ultimately to ensure the safety of the client. As a third person is involved, the possibility of anything serious not being identified and addressed, is significantly reduced. Secondly and equally important is that supervision enables the counsellor to explore in depth their client work as they reflect on their own reactions, feelings, and practice. This will inevitably increase the quality of their client work.

Walking alongside, or sitting with a client in the depth of their despair or chaos can be extremely valuable for the client. However sometimes this can make it difficult to remain objective and to identify links and pathways forward for the client. The way through the maze can often appear impossible from a position on the ground, but with ‘supervision’, from outside the relationship, the path becomes clear.

My particular interest has always been in the relationship between counsellor and client, as it can reveal much about what goes on for the client in relationships outside the therapeutic one. Much of the focus in supervision will thus be on exploring what is going on between you both within the room (transference and counter-transference). This can be achieved by talking through the therapeutic proses, or by using creative techniques and materials to gain an understanding into the various dynamics being played out in the therapy room. Another way of gaining insight into the client’s experience is to spend some time in the supervision session with you sitting in the seat of the client (gestalt two chair work). Often role playing a particular experience your client has shared with you, from the position of the client, can provide insights you may previously have been unaware of and can open up different ways of working with that client.

Creative materials are available in my therapy room that you are welcome to use in the supervision session, should you choose to work in this way. This may be an unfamiliar way of working for you. If you would like to experiment working creatively and would like to incorporate this into your own practice with clients, we can give some time to increasing your confidence in working using different techniques.

I will need information about your membership of counselling organisations and the codes of ethics you follow. I will want to know where you practice, that you keep relevant notes and have adequate storage to adhere to confidentiality and if you are in therapy yourself and are adequately insured.

I will need to know your individual requirements from the supervision relationship. For example, how many clients you are currently working with and how often? We can arrange our supervision in a way that meets both your needs and the requirements of the B A C P code of ethical practice. I will want to know your strengths and to understand any gaps in your experience and training. In this way we will be able to create our own unique way of working together that best suits your individual needs.

Fees: £60 per hour