Making the Most of Supervision
A useful way to think about supervision is to regard it as a form of research or inquiry in which two people (the supervisor and supervisee) collaborate or cooperate in an effort to understand what is going on within the counselling relationship and within the counsellor. This moves the emphasis from ‘doings things right or wrong’ … to ‘how is the counsellor being and how is that way of being contributing to the development of a counselling relationship based on the core conditions?’ (Mearns, 1999, p140)
Counsellors often come to me not quite knowing what supervision is, or having had some harsh or intimidating experiences in previous supervision groups or relationships. My take on supervision is inspired by Tony Merry’s attitude to it which that it needs to be a collaborative enquiry (Merry, 1999). By that he meant that his attitude to supervisees was to view supervision as being one colleague discussing and examining their work with another colleague who maybe has more experience, but not necessarily (as in peer supervision, for example).
As a Person-Centred supervisor I aim to work from and to a Client/Person-Centred perspective (see my Supervisor Profile). To that end I offer here some ideas about how to make the most of what I hope would be an emotionally safe environment in which to explore both the challenges and joys of working with clients who have experienced domestic violence.
When we examine our own process, as well as the process of the relationship, we engage in reflective practice. This engagement is more fruitful, in my experience, than only presenting the client; a practice which can quickly degenerate into gossip and speculation about the client because we are leaving out 50% of the input into the creation of the dynamic of the relationship. Consider this: research strongly indicates that regardless of theoretical approach the most healing element of any therapeutic enterprise is the nature and quality of the relationship!
If we examine our own process we can begin to see where our own frame of reference or our own as-yet-unresolved issues might be getting in the way of our empathy, unconditional positive regard and genuineness/congruence. This exercise develops our awareness, can also be therapeutic for us and improves our counselling skills (I prefer to call it the art of counselling). In my opinion the only difference between personal therapy and supervision is that supervision can be therapy with an agenda; i.e. the improvement of counselling skills and attitude for the benefit of clients, and, hopefully, our enjoyment of our profession!
My view is that because the Person-Centred Approach places so much emphasis on empathy, unconditional positive regard and genuineness it creates a supervisory group alliance that is supportive enough to facilitate a counsellor’s introspection and consequent professional and personal development.
I like Dave Mearns’ way of questioning himself whilst preparing for supervision. He has a checklist to help him examine his attitude, skills and process in relations to his clients. I reproduce the list below but please don’t think you ‘should’ be going over it with every client every week! It is simply an aide memoir, or some things to jog your awareness about some things that might be relevant to the challenges you experience in your relationship with one or more of your clients.
Just another point. When you mull over the questions try to keep clear in your mind the distinction between ‘think’ and ‘feel’. Here’s how I see it. Our beliefs (frame of reference) inform our thoughts. Our thoughts engender our feelings. Our feelings inform our responses or reactions; i.e. our behaviour. A response is considered and has thought behind it. A reaction is automatic, and has no thought behind it, it seems like instinct.
Finally, notice how there is only one question about the client.
How do I, the counsellor, behave in relation to this client?
What do I feel in relation to this client?
What do I think when I work with this client?
What goes on ‘underneath’ for me?
What parts of myself am I using with this client?
Am I ‘changing’ (using different parts of me) in relation to this client?
What parts of myself am I not using in relation to this client?
What is the nature of my empathy with this client?
Are there any blocks to my empathy with this client?
How is my warmth with this client?
Is my warmth different with this client than with others?
Do I have any tendency towards conditionality with this client?
In what ways am I being congruent with this client?
Am I feeling any problems in relation to my contract with this client?
What am I learning in relation to this client?
Am I experiencing any boundary problems with this client?
What are my assumptions about how the client is experiencing me?
How am I checking on the client’s experiencing?
What is my assessment of this client’s locus of evaluation?
How is my assessment of the client’s locus of evaluation affecting my communication with this client?