A Reflection on Supervision
Aristotle said ‘Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom’
Participating in regular individual and group supervision can be an extremely valuable and worthwhile experience. Supervision helps to develop self-awareness and to learn skills to develop psychological flexibility a key role in Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) (Bond & Bunce, 2000; Bond & Flaxman, 2006; Bond, Flaxman, & Bunce, 2008; Flaxman, Bond, & Livheim, 2013). Regular supervision also forms part of self-care.
Research indicates that engaging in regular supervision promotes wellbeing and reflective practice, self-care and job satisfaction for many professionals working in mental health roles (Hykras, 2005; Swalwell & Harvey 2017). It also builds skills and can prevent burnout and stress fatigue (Evans, 2015). Seeking supervision and implementing self-care strategies to prevent burnout and stress fatigue is even more pertinent with the current COVID-19 pandemic, as many psychologists (clinical and registered) support others and their own family to navigate the uncertainties at this time.
Regular supervision also assists psychologists to recognize situations that they are triggered by- this may involve a current case or situation. Individual matters not addressed may interfere with a psychologist’s responsibility to their clients, employer and the profession of psychology in general. It also could lead to burnout and stress fatigue.
Evans (2015) reported some possible barriers for psychologists seeking supervision include the financial cost, finding the time during busy work schedules and experiencing discomfort. However, the personal and professional benefits in most cases outweigh the financial cost. Supervision helps to develop self-awareness to recognise the ‘contents of one’s backpack’ and how individuals’ history and we all have one, can be triggered by a case or work situation.
