SALSA has a number of qualified and experienced clinical supervisors who are able to offer independent supervision to both trainee and experienced counsellors, as well as other professionals, who through the nature of their work, require on-going support.
What is supervision?Supervision is a formal arrangement for counsellors to discuss their work regularly with someone who is experienced in counselling and supervision. The task is to work together to ensure and develop the efficacy of the counsellor/client relationship. The agenda will be the counselling work and feelings about that work, together with the supervisor's reactions, comments and confrontations. Thus supervision is a process to maintain adequate standards of counselling and a method of consultancy to widen the horizons of an experienced practitioner.
Why supervision is essential for the practising counsellor?By its very nature, counselling makes considerable demands upon counsellors who may become over-involved, ignore some important point, become confused as to what is taking place within a particular client or have undermining doubts about their own usefulness. It is difficult, if not sometimes impossible, to be objective about one's counselling and opportunity to discuss it in confidence with a suitable person is invaluable. Good counselling also requires the counsellor to relate practice to theory and vice versa. Supervision can help the counsellor to evolve practice and in this sense is one aspect of continued training. The supervisor can ensure that the counsellor is addressing the needs of the client, can monitor the relationship between the counsellor and client to maximise the therapeutic effectiveness of the relationship and ensure that ethical standards are adhered to throughout the counselling process. Though not concerned primarily with training, personal therapy or line management, supervisors will encourage and facilitate the ongoing self-development, continued learning and self-monitoring of the counsellor.
What other professions would benefit from supervision?It has been acknowledged that independent clinical supervision plays an important role in those professions which are actively involved in the emotional and mental well being of others (Department of Health, Vision for the Future, 1993). Supervision, in this context, does not seek to replace any supervision that supports the ongoing maintenance of professional or discipline identity. It is a process that is in addition to any such system. It is a core activity for any modern health service provider, as well as being a supplementary form of support for educational, welfare and statutory agencies (such as social services, probation, youth workers etc).
Frequency of supervision
In line with British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) guidelines we strongly recommend monthly contact with all practitioners who are working with an active caseload. However, frequency of attendance will be negotiated individually with all supervisees.
Trainee counsellors will be aware of the criteria set by their qualifications awarding bodies and any additional requirements set by their training providers. These requirements must be discussed at the initial meeting between potential supervisees and clinical supervisors
Fees for supervision (effective from 01/09/09)Trainee practitioners - £30 per hour*
Qualified independent practitioners - £40 per hour** (fee dependent upon income)
Employer supported practitioners - £40 per hour**
* Reports essential to training criteria will be included in this fee. However, an additional charge may be incurred for extra reports required by either training or placement providers.
** Please note: we recommend one and a half hour sessions for experienced practitioners
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