Supervision – AASW
Regular supervision is a process which allows professionals, (social workers, psychologists, nurses, teachers, MCHNs’, doctors etc) the opportunity to explore and shed light on a range of issues and dilemma’s presented by their clients and workplaces.
Often in the helping professions we are expected to not only understand and work with a vast range of emotional situations and pressures but to also minimise the impact of this work on ourselves, with clients and within organisations. Supervision aims to make sense of these emotional experiences and learn from them rather than endure them.
Supervision provides a place in which the feelings aroused both in the worker and the clients are considered to be important information, often unconscious, which can shed light on both therapeutic and organisational processes. It considers how these processes can be used to enable rather than block the interactions, within individual and couples work, groups and within organisations.
Regular supervision can reduce the risk of being exhausted by the work, enhance work performance and increase job satisfaction. Supervision provides a safe, supportive opportunity to raise issues, explore problems, and contemplate new ways of handling both situations and oneself.
Supervision can be provided in an individual or group setting. To ensure the best outcomes and learning it is best to have supervision on a regular basis to ensure continuity and ongoing learning.