I qualified as a counselling supervisor in my early years working at a hospice. There, I helped supervise a large team of volunteers including trainees.
The person-centred author Jerold Bozarth made the comment that “congruence begets congruence”. By this he meant that psychological health in one person enables greater psychological health in another. I carry this belief into my work as a supervisor. If I can facilitate greater congruence for the supervisee, I believe they will be able to facilitate greater congruence for their clients. Inevitably, this means my work as a supervisor strongly echoes my work as a counsellor.
My aim is to enable an exploration of a counsellor’s work in order that they can develop as they will. Our joint understanding of what we are trying to achieve, and belief that responsibility remains with the counsellor and not the supervisor, frees me as the supervisor to offer more of myself and my experience into the mix. Overlaying this is my training in various models of supervision, primarily that of Hawkins and Shohet. Their ‘seven-eyed’ model serves to remind me to consider if different perspectives are being regularly addressed, and to bring them to the fore if necessary.
To talk further about possibly working together, click here to contact me.