Supervision
In working as a clinical supervisor I aim to form a learning alliance between myself and my supervisee. My overall goal is to provide support and challenge so that my supervisee can provide, safe, ethical, and effective counselling to his or her clients. Expanding my supervisee’s awareness of counter-transference and transference are part of this goal.
I expect myself to:
- oversee my supervisee’s caseload.
- identify and track my supervisee’s concerns about clients
- explore alternative intervention
- enhance my supervisee’s understanding of the material
- affirm my supervisee’s competence
- suggest relevant reading
Supervision Model
I use a model called “The Seven-Eyed Supervisor”. There are seven domains in this model. Each domain is an aspect of relational experience that is present in the therapeutic and in the supervisory space. Attending to the domains as they arise in each session keeps the supervision process relational.
The Seven-Eyed Model of Supervision
- the client's life and experience
- the interventions and techniques
- the process and relationship between client and counsellor
- the internal experience of the counsellor
- the here-and-now relationship and process between counsellor and supervisor
- the internal experience of the supervisor
- the Supra-systems in which some or all of the 3 people are involved
Adapted from Hawkins and Shohet (2007), Supervision in the Helping Professions, Open University Press.
Staying Relational
Attending to what is going on for each of us right now is the primary goal, in my opinion, for counselling and psychotherapy. This focus is what I aim for in my work as a supervisor.
Therapeutic Models
My primary training both as a counsellor and a psychotherapist is in Transactional Analysis. Therefore, I bring many of these frameworks into my work as a supervisor. For example, the Drama Triangle is very useful in helping the counsellor unpack “game transactions” with her clients. Transactional Analysis is a body of theory containing several models that simplify things for beginning counsellors. An example of this is the notion using goals when counselling clients and goal centered communication when counselling couples.
Personal Qualities
I value transparency, authenticity, respect, curiosity, humour, and integrity in my work with others. I look for a sense of the extraordinary (the beauty) within the ordinary qualities of life. These are the qualities that I bring to my work as a supervisor.