SUPERVISION

Supervision and mentoring are well known in the helping professions to be valuable and highly effective tools for learning, growing and supporting yourself in your practice. All practitioners eg. acupuncturists, coaches, homeopaths, counsellors, doctors, osteopaths can benefit greatly by having somewhere to take their professional needs to give themselves the support that they are offering to their clients.

Supervision can have a somewhat negative image perhaps because in some professions it is understood to involve a line manager checking everything is being carried out correctly. In this context supervision is not hierarchical and does not involve evaluation or monitoring. Supervision is an opportunity to explore frequently arising practice issues such as isolation, boundaries, dual relationships, lack of confidence, time management, burnout, endings and challenging dynamics in the patient-practitioner relationship. Through facilitated and supportive self-reflection you will gain greater understanding of yourself as a practitioner, celebrate successes and work through any difficult issues allowing you to continually develop as a practitioner. Many people who enter supervision feel immediately relieved, supported and excited as they reconnect with their vitality and enthusiasm. Supervision allows the opportunity to speak the unspeakable and can offer the sense of a supervisor holding your back, walking along beside you and encouraging you to move forwards.

‘Develop as practitioners we must, we can only take our clients as far in their journey towards health, in all its many aspects, as we have travelled ourselves’ – Isobel Cosgrove

As your supervisor, Sarah will create an equal and supportive relationship that provides a safe and non-judgmental environment for you to explore and resolve any work related issues in order to create a more fulfilling and satisfying working life. Sarah’s insight and experience will enable you to reflect on your work and yourself. She will provide the vital emotional support needed when working intensely and empathically with clients, some of whom will be troubled or going through difficulties. As you become more aware of the impact of client issues on yourself you can increasingly maintain clarity and presence in the clinic space. This process of support and growth will add to your personal development, increase your inner resources and ensure high quality in your professional life.

Supervision is available on a one to one basis and in small groups, so do talk to Sarah about your requirements. An advantage of group supervision is the richness of hearing other practitioner’s experience and input. The supervisor is the facilitator however every group member is there to offer support and insights. Frequently one person will share an issue that resonates with other group members thus building a supportive network and preventing isolation. In one-to-one sessions there is more time and it might feel safer to open up and work more deeply. It is important that sessions are regular, the frequency depending to some extent on the amount of clients that you are seeing. Sarah recommends that from the very start of building your practice you have sessions no more than two months apart thereby avoiding long gaps between sessions and allowing you to build your practice and confidence. Sessions are available face to face or via telephone and Skype.