Reflections on the supervisory process

The supervisory atmosphere

Effective supervision means creating an atmosphere in which supervisees, whether they are beginners or experienced practitioners, can contribute not only their mistakes, clumsiness, and anxiety about your case, but also their insight, inspiration, and talents. In well-functioning supervision, the supervisee will feel free to describe, to the best of their ability, where they are stuck, confused, or suspect they are avoiding problems, as well as share where they suddenly “got the hang of it,” commented. Intuitive interpretation or took a chance and managed to reach your client In this supervisory atmosphere, students can recognize their anxieties and the excitement of an inspiration that hits the mark.

Growth in supervision

Progress in supervision goes far beyond learning theory and increasing technical skills. A student who grows up in supervision will be less concerned with the assessment, will be less defensive, and will be more able to see what he does not know and needs to learn. They can become more direct about the questions they want to focus on, more able to accept challenges, and more open about their support needs. In such an atmosphere, supervisees can admit the intrusions of their personal difficulties and history and see how they interfere with their responses to a client. As they do so, they develop increasing empathy for themselves and their patient.

Good supervision sessions build enthusiasm and shared passion. The supervisor and the supervisor improve each other as they both learn something valuable that cannot be learned alone. Supervisees are often surprised how, in trying to communicate their experience, they unexpectedly find themselves in touch with something deeper within themselves. As the appetite for learning increases, the recognition of the unconscious creativity of both the client and the therapist captures the imagination.

A well-equipped person, not just a skill set.

Supervision should strive to create a well-equipped person, not just a package of skills and techniques. “Good” supervision creates a feeling of being alive at work and enjoying it in a very personal way and points the way to the supervisee’s personal way of being as a therapist.