Supervision for Therapists

[Red Head]

Hi all,

I'm wondering what your thoughts on therapist supervision are ? I'm half way through a Level III Counselling course and have come to the conclusion that it's not a bad idea !!

I guess really it would depend on what 'sort' of therapy you provide. I practice Reflexology and Auricular Acupuncture (in the main) and much of my work is with ladies experiencing sub-fertility problems, hormonal imbalance, menopause (normally coupled with anxiety etc). Whilst this is hugely rewarding, uplifting work, it can at times also be fairly draining.

I do tend to have folks 'spilling' to me, letting off steam and needing a boost (mentally as well as physically). I'm certainly not aware of this having an adverse effect on me just at the moment, and i'm generally quite good at leaving stuff at the door, so to speak. But i do wonder about 'burn out' further down the line and think it might not be a bad idea to speak to someone else, in the same way as Counsellors are required to do.

What do you guys think ? Might it not be a good idea for all therapists to do this ? Or would it depend on what you do ? Does anyone already utilise some sort of supervision ?

Looking forward to your thoughts

Meridianmoon xx

 

[Jeney M]

Hi-you raise an interesting point. For a start, it's surprising that our own health isn't addressed more in our training- whatever the therapy we're studying. It's hard to see how a complementary therapist can work without being affected by clients.
The trouble with first starting up though, is that formal supervision usually costs money..and it can be hard enough to make a profit anyway, without spending even more on supervision!
Personally, I find that sometimes just discussing things with a colleague is helpful but also, my safety net is to have some treatment myself! This works with homeopathy because the nature of the consultation covers mental, emotional and physical states but I guess it might not with a different kind of therapy.-But you could choose the therapy you have!
I'm not sure that formal and compulsory supervision would work across the board (and I have reservations about it even for counselling), but I do think we owe it to ourselves and our clients, to be very aware of our own state of health and address issues as they arise. What do other people think?

 

[MrSelfDestruct]

It is practically insisted at the cancer charity where I work. We have some very good senior counsellors who make time to see the therapists and it's very useful at times.

 

[Eman G]

In councilling as in my profession of hypno analysis /psychoanlysis you must have supervision otherwise you will get burn out and suffer poor mental/emotional/physical health. Before it is concidered safe for me to practice I have to have my own analysis to remove potential issues from my mind. Listening to mentally/emotionally sick people will trigger those issues. A good supervisor should spot problems before they arise. The more work you do the more often you need to see them.

 

[As hatred sinks in]

I think it is an important thing to do, especially if you are working with clients who are seriously ill, emotionally, or physically. I have practised as a clinical aromatherapist for 20 years and it is only in the last 7 years that I have had group supervision which has been helpful. The supervision sessions were carried out by a therapist and gave me the chance to talk about things that worried me (some of the clients I have seen have had horrendous things happening to them, and like most therapists I try not to take my work home with me. It is in these instances that supervision has been most helpful for me.

Luv Binah
x