Counsellor Supervision
What does supervision mean in the context of counselling or psychotherapy? In the interests of both clients and practitioners, most professional bodies for counselling and psychotherapy require members to incorporate supervision into their clinical practice.What is Counselling Supervision?
Working under supervision means that a counsellor or psychotherapist uses the services of another counsellor or psychotherapist to review their work with clients, their professional development, and often their personal development as well.CPT offers group as well as individual supervision.
Who Needs Supervision?
In the view of this site, all counsellors and psychotherapists, regardless of experience, need supervision. Not only do most professional bodies in the UK such as the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy require supervision, but it is also an ethical imperative. A client who encounters a therapist working without supervision should probably consider carefully whether they wish to work with that therapist.Why is Counselling Supervision Needed?
Supervision exists for two reasons:- to protect clients, and
- to improve the ability of counsellors to provide value to their clients.
These opportunities to reflect also help the counsellor to improve the value they are providing to their clients.
What Does Supervision Mean for Confidentiality?
Overall client confidentiality is safeguarded because:- individually identifying information (such as full name) is not revealed, and are not traceable back to the specific individual client, and they do not normally pass beyond the supervision relationship.
- information shared in supervision is itself protected under a contract of confidentiality and normally may not be shared outside the supervision relationship.