by Michael Paterson
What is Supervision?
“It is a safe, boundaried and hospitable space in which people with a duty of care reflect on their use of time, talents and roles in their work with others. It pays attention to the worker as well as the work, is truthful about the past, attentive to the present and directed towards a transformative future”. (Paterson, 2020:27)*
It is known that at the heart of supervision is relationship and that to hold an hospitable space is vital.
Supervision gives space to reflect on the past in the present for the sake of the future. It is also about having a courageous conversation with yourself and the organisation. It attends to the worker and motivation of the worker, and helps people to reconnect with themselves and with others.
What can supervision do for you?
Supervision offers you a confidential and safe space to reflect and think about your work and be accompanied by a qualified supervisor in the process. It makes time and space for you to find things you may have lost sight of, both in yourself and others.
In relation to your work:
- reflect ON action (Hindsight)
- reflect IN action (Insight)
- reflect FOR action (Foresight)
“If you decide to live an unexamined life, please do not take a job that involves other people.”
by Parker J. Palmer
Cross-Professional Supervision
This is a term coined by Dr Geraldine Holton, who is Co-Founder and President of the Supervisors Association of Ireland www.saivision.ie It involves qualified people from different professional backgrounds supervising people from different professions. This form of supervision is recognised as: Compassionate, Contemplative, Co-created, Collaborative and Connected, and pays attention to the Context a person is working in.
I supervise individuals and groups from across different professions in the workplace. For my own learning and development I am in regular individual and peer supervision, take part in workshops, facilitate supervision practice sessions and enjoy networking, journaling and reading.
Pastoral supervision is an intentional dialogue between Soul, Role & Context (Paterson, 2020)*
For example, in relation to your work:
- What gets you out of bed in the morning? What gives you ‘fire in your belly?’ (motivation, a sense of purpose)
- What is your Role, and how does it fit with your Soul, or core values?
- How is your Soul & Role inspired or inhibited within the ‘nitty gritty’ of your work Context?
* Paterson, M. (2020) Between a Rock and a Hard Place, Edinburgh: IPSRP Publications.
