Professional supervision can be carried out one-to-one and/or as a group. It can enable people to reflect on their work, and to consider for a moment not just how to react to the next crisis, for example, but to proactively think through how to maintain wellbeing and team cohesion through those crises as they arise.

Professional supervision is distinctly different from operational/line management supervision, which tends to be task-focused ‘supervision’, for example of workflow or outputs, such as a line manager might carry out in a work planning session. 

In contrast, professional supervision happens outside of the workplace and involves a confidential relationship with an independent person with training, skills and knowledge to help you to reflect on your work practice. 

The role of the professional supervisor is to support you in dealing with the issues you encounter in your work with clients, colleagues, and your organisation, drawing on evidence-based principles and practices. Some of the issues you might discuss in professional supervision include:

• Work-life balance
• Personal wellbeing – how to thrive at work, and avoid burnout
• Managing tricky personalities (clients or colleagues) 
• Dealing with work stress and demands
• Vicarious trauma: the impact of working with clients who have experienced and/or witnessed trauma 
• How to work effectively as a member or manager of a team
• Setting boundaries – with clients or colleagues – how to skilfully say “No”
• Time management
• Managing organisational and systemic issues
• Career direction and development
• Ethical dilemmas.

As a Clinical Psychologist, I have over 25 years’ experience in working with a range of clients, including professional supervisees. I bring an evidence-based approach to all aspects of my work, including supervision. 

During our face-to-face or Zoom sessions, you’ll have a confidential space to step out of your everyday work and reflect on what is and isn’t working, safely and honestly. Sessions happen on a regular basis – typically monthly – allowing you to practice new skills in-between sessions and improve and enhance your work experience over time.  

Over the course of our sessions, my hope is that you will gain and benefit from:

• Greater job satisfaction and work-life balance.
• Increased feelings of control over workload and work expectations.
• Increased confidence and motivation to make significant changes in your work life.
• Better working relationships with your colleagues and clients.
• Learning to notice and attend to potentially problematic issues early, to avoid overwhelm or burnout.
• Clarity around a difficult situation and a plan for moving forward to resolve the issue.
• Improved professional boundaries that reduce feelings of resentment or overwhelm.