Professional supervision

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Supervision is used in counselling, psychotherapy and other mental health disciplines as well as many other professions engaged in working with people. It consists of the practitioner meeting regularly with another professional, not necessarily more senior, but normally with training in the skills of supervision, to discuss casework and other professional issues in a structured way. This is often known as clinical or counselling supervision or consultation. The purpose is to assist the practitioner to learn from his or her experience and progress in expertise, as well as to ensure good service to the client or patient.

Clinical supervision is used by many other professions in health services and all therapists are now expected to have regular clinical supervision. C. Waskett (2006) has written on the application of solution focused supervision skills to either counselling or clinical supervision work.

Practising members of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy[1] are bound to have supervision for at least 1.5 hours a month. Students and trainees must have it at a rate of one hour for every eight hours of client contact.

The concept is also well used in psychology, social work, the probation service and other workplaces.

Benefits of supervision

Main article: Benefits of clinical supervision

Modes of supervision

Supervision sessions can be conducted in a number of different ways eg in individual or group setting

Main article: Modes of clinical supervision

Models or approaches to supervision

There are many different ways of developing supervision skills which can be helpful to the clinician or practitioner in their work. Specific models or approaches to both counselling supervision and clinical supervision come from different historical strands of thinking and beliefs about relationships between people.

Main article: Models of Clinical supervision

Ethical guidelines for supervisors

Because of the special nature of the supervisory relationship it is important that all supervisors are aware of and follow the ethical guidelines of their professional bodies

Main article: Ethical guidelines for supervisors

Training of clinical supervisors

Supervision has become an area of growing importance for clinical training programmes

Main article: Training of clinical supervisors

Bibliography

Key texts – Books

• Bramley, W Supervisory Couple in Broad Spectrum Psychotherapy.Free Association Books. ISBN 1853433535
• Carroll, M. and Tholstrup, M. (2001) (eds).Integrative Approaches to Supervision.Jessica Kingsley Publishers ISBN 1853029661
• Carroll, M (1996) Counselling supervision: Theory, skills and practice. London: Cassell.
• Carroll, .M. & Gilbert, ,M. (2005)). On being a supervisee: Creating learning partnerships. London: Vukani Publications.
• Fleming, I. & Steen. L. (2004). Supervision and clinical psychology. Hove: Routledge.
• Hawkins,P & Shohet, R (2003). Supervision in the Helping Professions: an organisational, group and organisational approach; Open University Press, Maidenhead, 2nd ed. ISBN 0335201172
• Inskipp,F * Proctor,B. (1993). The Art, craft and tasks of Counselling supervision, Part 1 – making the most of supervision, Cascade Publications ,
• Inskipp,F * Proctor,B. (1995). The Art, craft and tasks of Counselling supervision Part 2 – becoming a supervisor.
• Page,S & Wosket,V. (1995) Supervising the Counsellor: a Cyclical Model; Routledge, London & New York,

Key texts – Papers

• British Psychological Society (2002) Criteria for the accreditation of postgraduate training courses in clinical psychology: Guidelines on Clinical supervision. Leicester: British Psychological Society.
• Carroll, M (2007) Clinical psychology supervision. Clinical Psychology Forum, 174,35-37
• Division of Clinical Psychology (2003) Policy guidelines on supervision in the practice of clinical psychology. Leicester: British Psychological Society.

Additional material - Papers

• Waskett, C The pluses of solution-focused supervision. , Vol 6, No 1.
• Waskett, C (2006) The SF Journey, in Therapy Today, March , Vol 17, No 2, pp 40-42

External links

The pluses of solution-focused supervision