My supervisory approach

 As we sit together in the ‘not knowing’ of relational reflective practice, our foundation is upholding key trauma informed principles including cultural responsiveness, safety, trustworthiness, collaboration, choice and empowerment.

You will find some of my key influences in Inspiration.

My priority is to understand your practice, priorities and supervision needs and preferences in the 'here and now' of our collaboration. Moving from the concept of ‘my supervisory approach’, perhaps we may co-create our engagement as we foster safety, trust and shared understandings. We’re leaning into critically reflexive practice with courage, curiosity, compassion and solidarity. Let’s (un)learn, wade through the weeds, and be messy and imperfect together in service to our clients and communities.

My hope is we can cultivate meaningful connections that will empower you further to thrive as an ethical and fulfilled practitioner. With a foundation in the anti-oppressive 'core conditions' of Person Centred Therapy, I uphold both your own and the client’s inherent capacity for self-knowledge, unfolding and growing while simultaneously recognising the constraints and oppressions of power inequities, colonisation and neoliberalism. 

I ask you (and myself)), how may I support and serve your reflective practice? We may reflect on your client’s needs and issues, the therapeutic relationship and issues of transference / countertransference, your therapeutic process and approaches, relevant theory and research, your experiential learning… I perceive my role as supervisor to include elements of guide, cheerleader, restorative mentor, ethical custodian, fellow traveller. Perhaps sometimes one who listens, validates, soothes, resources and inspires. 

I aim to hold a flexible, expansive and creative reflexive space within which we explore together while drawing on our individual and shared understandings, ideas, insights, skills, humour, humanity and wisdom. I start sessions with an open invitation to reflection e.g. ‘What are you bringing today?’; “How shall we start?”; ‘What are you sitting with?”. I’m inviting you to arrive in the here and now of the session, noticing what you are sitting with and what is coming into the session with you.  I invite and encourage reflexive praxis, including noticing your assumptions, implicit bias and responses to clients. Noticing what is emerging for me, may ask ‘curious questions’ around an issue or theme that we have been exploring in the here and now or across sessions but I don’t set or direct an agenda. 

 We may explore what the client needs or wants from you and from the therapeutic relationship. Perhaps there may noticing around the evolutions of the therapeutic relationship and some consideration of the client’s experiences including confusion, frustration, pacing, growing, unfolding, healing, shifting direction, milestones and transitions.

 We may consider how it would be for you to collaborate with the client in identifying what is emerging in the therapeutic relationship, what is needed, what may be the next steps and approaches. 

We may explore how you are experiencing or influencing the therapeutic relationship. We are not undertaking therapy but we are approaching relational practice with the understanding that there is much to explore in the “interbeing” (Thich Nhat Hanh) of the therapeutic relationship. And sometimes that means asking 'how are you travelling?; "What may be here in the countertransference?"; "What may be the influence of implicit bias here?".  We may explore your self / collective care practices and identify what is needed to support your effective, ethical practice. I will speak to any concerns I may have about your wellbeing and your approach to practice. 

How are we experiencing our supervisory relationship and what is valuable, meaningful or extraneous to you. I am always seeking to (un)learn and decolonise my practices. I will learn from and with you. If I don’t ‘know’, I will share this with you and we can discuss next steps Once we arrive at a point of adequate safety, trust and respect for each other’s practice, we may say ‘We’re in new territory here and we don’t a map so let’s work on it together.’