Professional Supervision
Damian provides individual supervision for:
- Counselling students or trainees
- Practising counsellors or therapists
- Mentors for young people
- Teachers
- Youth workers
- Care workers and professionals with a formal or informal counselling role such as 'listening services'
What is Supervision?
There are lots of definitions for supervision, here are a few:
Inskipp & Proctor:
A working Alliance between a supervisor and counsellor in which the counsellor can offer an account or recording of their work, reflect on it, receive feedback, and where appropriate, guidance. The object of this alliance is to enable the counsellor to gain in ethical competence, confidence, and creativity so as to give their best possible service to their clients.
Hess: (1980)
Supervision is a quintessential interpersonal interaction with the general goal that one person, the supervisor, meets with another, the supervisee, in the effort to make the latter more effective in helping people.
BACP:
The primary purpose of supervision is to ensure that the counsellor is addressing the needs of the client.
Aims of Supervision
Some of the aims of supervision can be taken from the quotes above, however supervision is the process in which to maintain or enhance the professional skills, knowledge and attitudes of clients, including:
- The ability to conceptualise clinical material and apply appropriate interventions
- Identification and management of transference and counter transference issues
- Awareness of ethical and professional standards
- Enhanced analytical skills, creativity, self-awareness, confidence and competence
- Clarification of roles, responsibilities and boundary issues
- Identification of professional strengths, weaknesses and training needs
Approach to Supervision
People's approach to supervision can vary according training, organisational requirements, personal experiences and can quite often mean different things to different people in varying situations. The supervisory relationship is seen as a common understanding of goals and tasks within a strong bond of mutual trust and respect.
During supervision, clients are encouraged to:
      − Express emotions and to be reflective
      − Empowered by clear and constructive feedback
      − Take an active role in sessions and increasing responsibility for their professional practice and professional development
The sessions will:
      − Be facilitative, interactive and supportive, creating a safe environment for personal and professional disclosures
      − Aim to provide a 'space for thinking', gaining of insight and creativity
      − Be tailored to supervises individual situations and needs, such as theoretical orientation, work context, learning style
      − A place where supervises worth, values and strengths are acknowledged and validated and where two-way feedback is encouraged and supervisory relationship issues are openly addressed
      − Structured according to supervises development, presenting client issues and development stage
Supervision Contract
Before commencing supervision, a contract is discussed and negotiated with individuals and/or external authorities, whatever is appropriate.
Cost
Monday to Friday - 9.00am to 4.30pm.
Note: Supervision can be provided out of hours, but will incur extra cost, please enquire for further details.
♦ Counselling students, trainees, mentors: £40 per 1½ hour session
♦ Practising counsellors, therapists, teachers and other professionals: £55 per 1½ hour session
Payments can be either cash or cheques. Direct Debit is available for 12 month contracts, please enquire for details.
Qualifications
As well as diplomas in Counselling, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Hypno-Psychotherapy, Damian has a Diploma in Fieldwork Supervision.
Dip.FS is a professional qualification gained through Inroads Training, an experienced training organisation which is validated by ABC. The diploma is only offered to suitably qualified counsellors and professionals who satisfy strict entry requirements, therefore providing a quality, and not quantity, learning environment.
For further details of Inroads Training, please visit my links page.