‘A quintessential interpersonal interaction with the general goal that one person, the supervisor, meets with another, the supervisee, in an effort to make the latter more effective in helping people.’ Hess 1980.
‘An intensive, interpersonally focused, one to one relationship in which one person is designated to facilitate the development of therapeutic competence in the other person.’ Loganbill, Hardy and Delworth 1982.
‘The primary purpose of supervision is to ensure that the counsellor is addressing the needs of the client. It is a formal collaborative process and encompasses monitoring, developing and supporting individuals in their counselling roles.’ BAC 1988.
Supervision originated and developed as an integral part of the training process in psychoanalysis alongside teaching and personal analysis. Whilst supervision thus contained as part of the development of the trainee counsellors, in more recent decades the importance of supervision for the experienced practitioner had been acknowledge and developed. Carl Rogers as early as the 1950s encouraged reflection in practice through the use of a fellow practitioner in a consultancy relationship.
As counselling has separated itself from allied activities, including psychotherapy, clinical psychology, pastoral work, social work and career guidance to become a profession in its own right, thus the role of counselling supervision has too been in a state of rapid evolution.
The British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) requires all its practitioner members to be in supervision regardless of their length of experience.
Counsellors work in organisations and as independent practitioners and are involved in the process and dynamics of our ever changing work places and society. Thus supervision needs to reflect the various and varying aspects of the work and life of counsellors.
Oasis believes in continuous reflection and development and that learning comes through the relationship and working together of people. It is in living and working through the issues and problems associated with human relation, in whatever context they arise, which leads to true growth and change. As in all aspects of living, so in supervision; we believe that a developmental alliance includes learning from each other, setting a learning contract and working out whatever is required at the time it is needed.
Reflection on relationships and process as well as content will lead to development of individuals in real and continued growth, whether that is in counselling supervision, caseload supervision or in some styles of management supervision.
