INTRODUCTION.

Dear practitioner,

Welcome to the world of professional supervision. Your interest in this topic indicates that either you are new to your profession, an experienced practitioner seeking new ways to be more effective or possibly, your professional organisation has suggested/mandated professional supervision as part of your ongoing membership obligations.

Regardless of what brings you to supervision, this brochure outlines what it entails, the processes involved and should you ask me to take on the role of your supervisor, the commitments that each of us will make to the relationship in order to ensure that you find it successful and worthwhile.

Below is a brief description of the supervisory process and some answers to common questions. I would be very pleased to discuss your requirements and answer any further questions that you might have. My contact details are attached, so please phone or email me and I will get back to you.

WHAT IS PROFESSIONAL SUPERVISION? – AND WHAT IT’S NOT.

I define supervision as:

A process where supervisee and supervisor together, critically reflect on the work of the supervisee in order to sustain him/her in that chosen profession and to improve the efficacy of his/her work for the benefit of the practitioner, the client and other stake holders.

That is, supervision exists in order to help you do your job more effectively and for the greater benefit to your client. Through that, the aim is to prevent burn-out where you no longer operate at an optimum level or in a worst case, leave your profession entirely. You have invested much time and money to get to where you are now and it would be a sad loss should you burn out and choose to leave the vocation for which you clearly have a heart.

Supervision is a holistic approach that seeks to encourage critical self- reflection on how you currently do your work, in order that you become more effective in the future. It covers elements of coaching, mentoring, sustaining you as a person, expectations management (yours, your client’s and your organisation’s), and how you might transform the way you think about yourself and your clients in order to make the process more rewarding.

Supervision is not therapy - and I am not a trained psychiatrist, analyst or psychologist. Supervision focuses on your work environment, whereas other disciplines aim to assist you at a personal level. Whilst supervision touches on coaching etc as mentioned above, it is not any of those in isolation. There will be times when one aspect is of greater importance than others, but this will change over time. A good supervisor/supervisee relationship will identify and isolate specific needs, but these will always be discussed in the context of you as a total person and your client’s needs.

HOW DOES SUPERVISION WORK?

If you are new to your profession or have not previously spent time with a supervisor, here are some aspects of how each session works and therefore, some things for you to think about.

1. Supervision normally consists of a monthly meeting (preferably face-to-face, but online if necessary), that lasts for an hour. More/less frequent sessions may be agreed upon, depending upon your circumstances and the requirements of your organisation.

2. You have my commitment that I will do all possible to make each session valuable to you. In return, I expect your commitment to the process. In practice, that means for both of us, timeliness (starting and finishing), a mutually convenient location, freedom from distractions (mobile phones etc), and a commitment to openness as we share the issues under discussion.

3. For the first few sessions, we will together explore the main areas that you think could be of benefit for your practice and how I as your supervisor, can assist. If we find that the “fit” is not there, you are both welcome and advised to move to another supervisor.

4. Prior to each session, I will be asking you to think about issues that have impacted your work since the previous session and what was your reaction (and that of your client), to each of those issues. Supervision is not about finding quick and simple solutions – process is important. Reflection over a period of time may well result in a superior outcome. It is not my role as your supervisor to offer top-down answers and courses of action that may seem right to me. You are working within your own context and it’s important that together, we explore all possibilities that may transform the way in which you work. At subsequent sessions, we can discuss your reflections on each issue, the possible solutions/improvements that are available and ways to move forward.

5. To help structure our thoughts on a particular issue and to provide a sound basis for our ongoing meetings, there are some models of supervision to which I will introduce you. A good framework will assist you to structure your thoughts and allow both of us to make the most of the time we spend together. 

If you find the sessions to be meaningful and we both agree that there is value to be had in continuing, we will look to develop a Supervision Agreement as the basis for our ongoing work together. Such Agreements invariably change over time as circumstances change. They do however, provide a platform for mutual understanding of roles and responsibilities for both of us.

A LITTLE ABOUT ME.

Supervision exists for the benefit of you the practitioner and also for your clients. My role as supervisor is to help you critically reflect on your work, the various environments in which you operate and how you relate to your clients (and they to you). From that critical reflection, the aim is that you develop transformational (rather than transactional), improvements to your practice.

My contribution to this process is based on my own personal training and experience. As a former barrister practising in family law, I am well familiar with handling sensitive information in a confidential and ethical way. Barristers are bound by a strict code of conduct, not dissimilar to that required by the Australian Association of Supervision. In addition to my legal training, I also hold qualifications in engineering, business, professional supervision and I’m in the final stages of completing a MA in theology. I have been a Christian for fifty years and actively involved in various church leadership roles. My experience encompasses professional practice, business as both employer and employee, board governance as chair and member of various boards, and as a mentor, encourager and friend along the journey.

Should you choose me to be your supervisor, you can be assured of a calm and receptive welcome in a room free of distraction. Together we will tease out crucial issues and focus on defining their parameters. We will explore transformative ways of moving ahead and imagine what outcomes may result from each of those ways. It will be important to then to define what a successful outcome may look like and how it is to be tracked, measured and evaluated in later sessions.

Finally, I encourage you to embark on this journey. The status quo is rarely a good place to remain in a rapidly changing world. As has been said of those who seek to cling on to the old ways: 

                                                 “they risk nothing, lose nothing, but find nothing”. 

You love what you do, so let me help you do it to the best of your ability.