Clinical supervision is an important aspect of the counselling practice for psychotherapists and counsellors to ensure that their counselling services and ethics are of the highest standard. In Australia, the supervisory process of counselling is a requirement for members of professional bodies, such as the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA), the Australian Counselling Association (ACA) and the Australian Register of Counsellors & Psychotherapists (ARCAP).
I am an ACA registered supervisor and a current ACA College of Supervisors member. My role in supervision is to support you as a counsellor/therapist with your professional and personal development; review your work with clients and offer you new ideas and strategies on difficult cases.
My supervision sessions cover various aspects of counselling and are tailored to your needs. Here are some of the issues that we may review and discuss in our supervision sessions:
- Do you have clear boundaries, separating yourself from the clients’ issues?
- Are you experiencing projection or transference?
- Are you feeling overwhelmed or burned out?
- Are you stuck on a client’s issue?
- Are you up to date with your professional development required hours?
- Are you keeping on top of your administrative tasks?
 Any counsellor, regardless of experience, need supervision. Counsellors cannot always be objective about their abilities, agendas and practices. Supervision is considered essential for two reasons:
- To monitor client care and ensure clients are receiving appropriate therapeutic counselling.
- To improve the skills of counsellors and provide support to prevent excess stress and burnout.
Under supervision, the supervisee can reflect on their work, receive feedback, direction, gain a better understanding of their cases, clients and themselves to improve the value of their service to clients.
When choosing a supervisor, consider the following things:
- Is the environment for supervision safe and appropriate?
- What are the supervisor’s theoretical background and expertise?
- How long has the supervisor been practising?
- Is the supervisor open, empathic, personal and supportive?
As with all counselling processes, the key to success is having a good and trusting relationship with your supervisor.
Please get in touch if you would like to find out about my clinical supervision.