SUPERVISION
A Rich Learning Environment
Our commitment is to support the good practice and professional development of all facilitators. We place a high value on supervised practice, and this standard is integral to the accreditation of our members.
Well-being
Maintaining personal well-being is a core facilitation competency. In our FACETS® model, the ‘S’ stands for support, which includes Supervision. (F=Facilitation, A=Awareness, C=Contracting, E=Ethics, T=Theory.) Commitment to good support yields a practice that is ethical, well-contracted, and raises awareness for yourself and for your groups.
Continuing Professional Development
The importance of supervision as a space for continuing professional development, includes, but is not limited to:
- Examine your role and performance in groups
- Review material from your client groups
- Process experiences of the group facilitator role (whether these be real, recent, patterns, projected, anticipated, feared, etc)
- Enquire deeper into your responses, reactions, attitudes
- Review material from your client groups
- Self-regulation and attending to personal limitations
- Insight into the relationship between yourself and your client groups/group members
- Debrief difficult assignments, and discharge of stress
Support |
A = Area for Development B = Applies with Support C = Tends to Apply D = Consistently Applies |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | B | C | D | ||
| 1 | Engages in an appropriate level of Supervision | ||||
| 2 | Remains in professional dialogue by engaging regularly with other facilitators, relevant reading, training etc. | ||||
| 3 | Attends to personal well-being in a holistic way | ||||
| 4 | Can identify personal indicators of stress and burnout | ||||
| 5 | Actively seeks early support when working on the edge of personal competence | ||||
| 6 | Maintains a healthy balance between work and rest | ||||
Extract from FACETS® Facilitator Competency Model
On mobile scroll sideways or turn your phone sideways to see the whole table…
The theory of supportive practice is important to know about, not least to be able to impart this knowledge to groups for their health. Theoretical references are provided below and supportive practices and experiences are offered on our courses and Learning Days. This behind-the-scenes work is often invisible to client groups. As a result, allocating resources (time, money, attention) to supervision and self-support may be prone to neglect or delay, through “busy-ness” or through remaining in the “conceptual” realm of “what I should do (but haven’t)”. It is important that you actively and congruently seek to put in place supportive structures and use them.
A Rich Learning Environment
At the Association of Facilitators we are committed to support the good practice and professional development of all facilitators. We place a high value on supervised practice, and for our Accredited Members, this standard is integral to their accreditation.
Continuing Professional Development
The importance of supervision as a space for continuing professional development, includes, but is not limited to:
- Examine your role and performance in groups
- Review material from your client groups
- Process experiences of the group facilitator role (whether these be real, recent, patterns, projected, anticipated, feared, etc)
- Enquire deeper into your responses, reactions, attitudes
- Review material from your client groups
- Self-regulation and attending to personal limitations
- Insight into the relationship between yourself and your client groups/group members
- Debrief difficult assignments, and discharge of stress
Well-being
Maintaining personal well-being is a core facilitation competency. In our FACETS® model, the ‘S’ stands for support, which includes Supervision. (F=Facilitation, A=Awareness, C=Contracting, E=Ethics, T=Theory.) Commitment to good support yields a practice that is ethical, well-contracted, and raises awareness for yourself and for your groups.
Support |
A = Area for Development B = Applies with Support C = Tends to Apply D = Consistently Applies |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | B | C | D | ||
| 1 | Engages in an appropriate level of Supervision | ||||
| 2 | Remains in professional dialogue by engaging regularly with other facilitators, relevant reading, training etc. | ||||
| 3 | Attends to personal well-being in a holistic way | ||||
| 4 | Can identify personal indicators of stress and burnout | ||||
| 5 | Actively seeks early support when working on the edge of personal competence | ||||
| 6 | Maintains a healthy balance between work and rest | ||||
Extract from FACETS® Facilitator Competency Model
On mobile scroll sideways or turn your phone sideways to see the whole table…
The theory of supportive practice is important to know about, not least to be able to impart this knowledge to groups for their health. Theoretical references are provided below and supportive practices and experiences are offered on our courses and Learning Days. This behind-the-scenes work is often invisible to client groups. As a result, allocating resources (time, money, attention) to supervision and self-support may be prone to neglect or delay, through “busy-ness” or through remaining in the “conceptual” realm of “what I should do (but haven’t)”. It is important that you actively and congruently seek to put in place supportive structures and use them.
Support for healthy and effective practice
We encourage the widest possible definition of “support” and a healthy balance between work and rest. Over the years, in written self-assessments against FACETS® we note that facilitators have listed all of the following, and more, as sources of support: partners, family, friends, colleagues, holidays, sports, fitness, dance, creativity, art, music, reading, craft, nature, housework, charity work, community activity, spontaneity, routine, spiritual practice, reflection, meditation, yoga, learning and numerous specific, prosaic activities like watering the plants or walking to work. If you are working towards accreditation with us, you will have reflected on your support during your self-assessment.
Our training, and often our core nature as facilitators, tends towards to paying attention to others’ needs. Paradoxically, we may feel that we are “doing our job” by denying or neglecting our needs. This can be costly as it activates our shadow traits (such as denial, desensitisation, confluence, deflection, projection, and egotism), reduces our awareness/impact and, ultimately, over time, becomes unethical and potentially results in harm and burnout.
Supervision – How to Book
An online one-to-one supervision session with us is usually one hour, but longer sessions and face to face sessions can be booked if required.
The cost per hour is £95 for members and £125 for non-members. Accredited and Affiliate Members receive one free session per year as a benefit of their membership.
We also offer Group Supervision for existing groups, and this is highly conducive with the role of Group Facilitator. Group Supervision provides a rich environment for participants to experience themselves in a group role, and to replicate and review material that may arise in client groups. Within the group each individual receives opportunity to explore any issues pertaining to their facilitation practice. Please contact us using the form below to enquire about Group Supervision.
Further Reading/Resources
Shohet, R. (2012). Supervision in the helping professions. Open University Press.
Proctor, B. (2010). Group Supervision. Los Angeles: SAGE.
Centre for Supervision and Team Development – www.cstd.co.uk
Association of Professional Executive Coaching and Supervision (APECS) – www.apecs.org