Supervision now Online

Supervision is vital to the practice of counsellors and Psychotherapists and is an Ethical requirement for those who are working towards accreditation or on the Accredited Register.

Supervision is a valuable way of "checking in" with a more experienced practitioner thus supporting and ensuring counsellors stay grounded, maintain professional and ethical boundaries, develop their knowledge, both theoretically and practically, as well as focus on self-care to avoid "burnout". Supervision is fundamental to the provision of safe, ethical and competent counselling.

It is advised that a supervisor should be experienced in the type of work being carried out by the supervisee (e.g. working with Children & Young People or Complex trauma etc.)

As a guideline, the NCS recommends 1.5 hours of supervision per month for counsellors who are in full-time practice. That said, a counsellor’s level of experience and/or the type of work/client group they are engaging with may affect how much supervision is required. The number of hours and frequency of supervision should be discussed and agreed directly with the supervisor.

Concerns about any aspect of the counselling work being carried out should be brought to supervision where further advice can be sought. Supervisors should also provide clear guidelines to their supervisees as to what actions should to be taken in times of crisis, emergency or when the supervisor is not able to be contacted.

It is advisable that an up-to-date record of supervision hours keeps as evidence as such may be required during an audit, when applying for an upgrade of registrant level or when applying for counselling placements/jobs.

Further supervision guidance can be found within their Code of Ethics. I am listed on the International Council of Psychotherapists Supervisor List.  www.thencp.org