Professional Supervision
What is Professional Supervision?
All registered practitioners are usually required to undertake annual professional supervision to maintain their status as practising members. Supervision is a mandatory requirement of most professional organisations and is often included in relevant contracts.
Supervision is a process whereby a counsellor can speak to someone who is trained to identify any behavioural and/or psychological changes in the counsellor that could be due to an inability to cope with the issues of one or more clients. A supervisor is also responsible for:
Challenging practices and informing their supervisees of alternative theories and/or new practices;
Changes in the industry; and
Observing the mental health of their supervisee and in turn protecting the public from poor practices.
“Professional Supervision is perhaps the most important component in the development of a competent practitioner.
It is within the context of supervision that trainees begin to develop a sense of their professional identity and to examine their own beliefs and attitude regarding clients and therapy.”
— COREY, COREY & CALLAHAN, 2007
Why hire a Professional Supervisor?
Counsellors can face issues such as transference and burnout without any recognition of the symptoms. A professional supervisor would notice symptoms long before the counsellor.
Counselling Supervision is also an essential safeguard for clients, support for counsellors, and a process through which practitioners can develop their skills and competence. A competent Counselling Supervisor should be able to:
Conduct supervision sessions using various supervision interventions;
Provide effective evaluation and feedback to supervisees;
Address the ethical and legal considerations of supervision;
Act in the capacity as a mentor / sounding board providing emotional support as well as information and guidance;
Identify the onset of any symptoms of burnout and assist the counsellor in dealing with them; and
Ensure, as best as practicable, that the supervisee is undertaking regular ongoing development of various therapeutic techniques, strategies and models.
Supervision is a learned discipline separate from counselling.
As a member of the ACA College of Supervisors, I offer a range of Professional Supervision to counselling and other practitioners. I conduct supervision via face-to-face, over the telephone, via interactive modes like Skype or a combination.
Acknowledgements
The Australian Counselling Association (ACA)
The Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors (AIPC)