Preparing for Supervision Sessions

Preparing for Supervision

Before attending supervision, it can be helpful to pause and reflect on what you want to bring, and what you hope supervision might offer you. A little preparation often allows the space to be used more fully and with greater intention.

You might find it useful to consider the following questions:

• Do you have a sense of what you want to discuss and why it feels important right now?

• Would it help to bring your clinical notes to support your memory or clarify the work?

• Are there any clients you feel no need to discuss? If so, this in itself can be valuable material to explore in supervision.

• Is there anything you feel frightened, hesitant, or unsure about bringing? If so, what might sit underneath that?

• Are you feeling stuck with a client, or experiencing a sense of being de-skilled or uncertain in your role?

• What do you want from supervision in this moment?

This might include:

• Working through an ethical question or dilemma

• Exploring how something in your personal life may be spilling into your clinical work, including transference, countertransference, or parallel process

• Receiving emotional support around the challenges of client work, including unplanned endings, ruptures, or feelings of sadness or loss

Supervision is there to support you, not to judge or assess. It offers a reflective, containing space to think, feel, and make sense of your work, with the shared aim of supporting you and offering the best possible care to your clients.