Supervision, Coaching and Mentoring

Supervision

Professional registration and eligibility

Amanda is a member of the British Psychological Society’s Register of Applied Psychology Practice Supervisors (RAPPS).

Amanda offers supervision to HCPC Practitioner Psychologists, other psychologicalpractitioners, psychotherapists and counsellors. Trainees across the talking therapies are alsowelcome.

Approach to supervision

Amanda draws on a range of supervision models to suit different stages of professional development, as recommended by the British Psychological Society. The references below are drawn from the accompanying paper.

“Supervision has developed from the bringing together of theory, practice and pragmatism. Different models may be appropriate as a Psychologist progresses from novice to becoming expert. There have been studies into the effectiveness of consultation for Psychologists, but little evidence to show that any model is superior to others (Watkins, 2019).”

Seven-eyed Supervision

Hawkins and Shohet’s (2012) process supervision model has been adapted for coaching practitioners (Hawkins & Smith, 2013). It explores the relationships between the client or recipient, practitioner and supervisor, alongside their interactions with the wider community or system.

Known as ‘Seven-eyed Supervision’, the model focuses on seven areas:

1. The client and how they present.

2. The strategies and interventions used.

3. The relationship between the client and supervisee.

4. The supervisee.

5. The supervisory relationship.

6. The supervisor’s process.

7. The context of the work.

Functions of supervision

Supervision includes the following functions:

• Creating a learning relationship.

• Teaching and evaluating.

• Monitoring ethical issues.

• Counselling and consulting.

• Monitoring administrative functions.

Factors associated with successful outcomes

A study of common factors (Lambert & Barley, 2001) identified four factors associated with successful outcomes in supervision:

1. Factors associated with the client.

2. Empathy, warmth and positive regard.

3. Hope and expectancy.

4. Skills and techniques.

Supporting trainee development

Ronnestad et al. (2019) examined trainee development and identified six supervision goals:

1. An expectation that supervision will be helpful.

2. A safe environment for learning.

3. A reflective, open and solution-focused culture.

4. Respect for the complexity of the work and workplace.

5. Support in managing work-related challenges, including the pressures and demands of the role.

6. The corrective experiences needed for optimal development.

Evaluating the supervisory relationship

A supervisory relationship questionnaire measuring the effectiveness of supervision (Palomo, Beinart & Cooper, 2010) identified six factors associated with improved outcomes:

• Safety.

• Commitment.

• Structure.

• Reflective education.

• Role modelling.

• Formative feedback.

Coaching

SKYPE is a voice-over-internet-protocol (VOIP) service that allows users to communicate with peers by voice, video, and instant messaging over the Internet.

In the context of health care, SKYPE can be used to facilitate remote consultation at no cost to the patient using interfaces the patient is often already familiar with.

What is a SKYPE consultation with a psychologist?

The SKYPE consultation is just another variant of the standard psychological consultation – the life meeting. The client-psychologist contact is by SKYPE (most commonly), and it is an immediate, real-time meeting with video and sound (we don’t have to set up meeting links – more akin to using the phone).
We underline the need for a video (face to face) connection because, during communication, we get around 7% information from spoken words, 13 % from the tone of voice and 80% from body language and non-verbal communication. This is why, to enable a meaningful connection, eye contact is extremely important and useful in both understanding client issues and seeking collaborative solutions.

Who are SKYPE consultations suitable for?

We use SKYPE for psychological consultations and assessments. It can be useful for people who live out of the area, people with disabilities and/or mobility issues, people with very little free time or during periods of social distancing. It also works well for people who require higher levels of confidentiality.

Advantages of SKYPE consultations:

– It saves time, which you would spend travelling to and from the appointment. – It is done within the comfort of your own home or workplace. – It provides an opportunity to consult clients from other areas or countries.

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