Supervision
Working as a coach, facilitator or development practitioner can be hugely rewarding yet also lonely at times, especially if we’re an independent or not working in a close-knit team. Sometimes we need someone to talk to about how it’s going – the good, the bad, the ugly - to bounce ideas off, to understand, to hone our craft, to learn and grow with. We need protected time to think about ethical issues, to learn from mistakes (that we all make in this human relational work), and for developing professionally.
This is where supervision comes in. It’s a collaborative encounter - a place for reflective dialogue that supports people who professionally support others - for the benefit of both the practitioner and their clients. Supervision doesn’t tell you what to do or what to think – it taps into your own wisdom and helps you to think for yourself. However when supervision is within a group, it takes on a whole new dimension. Whilst still encouraging your independent thinking, you can have others’ combined experiences, perspectives, knowledge and insights to draw upon. These can help you to process, make sense of and thoughtfully apply new learnings.
NEW – Supervision Group starting 17 June 2025
I’m pleased to be offering this new supervision group – read on and if it’s of interest, book a Zoom call with me to discuss if this group could be right for you.
Who It’s For
People who are actively climate, environmentally and socially aware tend to be attracted to working with me. They typically want to think and talk in supervision about difficult and entangled systemic issues, to not ignore reality, and to explore beyond the superficial. They want to be purposeful and positive, yet recognise we are in uncertain, precarious times, as are their clients. Sometimes they feel stuck in “business as usual” work and want to move their practice into something more impactful. They are typically open to new learning and to working with difference, to challenging themselves, to listening deeply, and to experimenting.
Whilst the group is open to those who wouldn’t describe themselves as “climate-aware”, it’s important to know that members may bring some topics that aren’t generally talked about in mainstream society - you will be welcome to bring anything that is important to you and your clients.
What I Aim to Co Create with You
A non-judgemental and confidential closed group of 4-6 people;
Meeting monthly for six months, for 2.5 hours on the 3rd Tuesday, from 1700 - 1930 UK time, on Zoom;
A regular, boundaried and enriching environment where everyone can be heard, share what’s happening in their work, think for themselves, gain feedback, ideas and insights and expand their expertise;
A space where people aren’t afraid of being with uncertainty, of being vulnerable, experimental, and honest about their feelings;
A chance for members to develop their capacity to listen deeply and to create environments in which others can think for themselves;
A sense of renewal, with people leaving feeling refreshed and more resilient.
Whilst the focus will be on your clients and how you work with them, such as exploring your relationships, your boundaries, your successes and your tricky moments, the group can also offer a space for you to think about how you can expand and enrich your offering, and what skills you might want to develop. For example, you might want to start working more with ecological principles and practices, or develop a better understanding of being trauma-informed or working with neurodiversity, or explore the impact of colonialism and racism on the systems and people in which your client lives and works, as do you.
Sometimes you may have “nothing to bring”. That is fine – your listening presence will be a valuable part of the co creation of the session, and you will hopefully gain from hearing what people bring and what the group makes of it. We might also share resources that have or might inspire us - TED talks, podcasts, blogs, books, frameworks, events, and more - so it is both a supervision and a professional development opportunity.
As the group’s supervisor, my role is to create a safe, generative environment for everyone to bring whatever you wish from your work for exploration, managing the time, resources, emotional responses and group dynamics with care, neither ignoring and brushing conflicts and tensions under the carpet or allowing them to take over completely. Our contract will help us to do that, which we can review each time we meet, so that it becomes safer and safer as we connect more deeply each time. I will encourage you to care for yourself too because discussing this kind of work can be challenging at times.
About Your Clients
People I supervise tend to be or aspire to be working with clients from purpose-driven SMEs, charities, the arts and the public sector, consultancy, law, business activism, or in big business that is addressing climate, environmental and social change and crises. Some clients may face challenges every day in the systems of power they encounter, in meeting resistance to difficult truths, or in being under-funded and under resourced. Some feel like they are the lone voice of sanity in their organisation, some are trail-blazing new ways of doing business. Their clients’ work can be both joyful and depleting. So not only do these clients need really well-contained support that can stay with difficult times and yet still do the job - you do too. This is what good group supervision can help you to do.
Typically, our monthly sessions will have this structure:
Rounds and pairs to check in and connect, and a brief landing exercise;
Gathering issues people wish to bring, agreeing how we will use the time and any tools we wish to use;
Working through the agreed agenda, easefully and collaboratively, sometimes in the whole group, sometimes in pairs or triads, and then back to the group;
One or two short breaks;
Reflections of insights, learnings and re-learnings;
Takeaways, intentions, and appreciations.
About me
Our work together will be informed by our collective ideas, training and experiences - there is no one “theory” or practice that is better than any other; my own approach is particularly influenced by the Thinking Environment, group relations theory, psychodynamic and systems psychodynamics and the Work that Reconnects, which I bring to this group without attachment to being right!
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Does this sound like you? If so you’ll ideally have completed core training as a coach or facilitator, be actively working in those capacities, and be ready to take your practice to new levels. However we all still evolving and learning, often building the bridge as we walk on it, so you don’t have to have years and years of experience to become a valuable member of this group.
The Fee
It will be £510 for six sessions (£85 per 2.5-hour session) payable in two stages, with the first payment being in advance for 3 months as a sign of commitment to becoming a part of this group and making it work for you. If after this time the group you decide to exit, you can of course do so and we will wish you well in your onward journey. VAT is not chargeable.
If the group wishes to continue to work together for another six months, and beyond we can do so.
(If a member leaves before 6 months is up and a new member wishes to join this group, we will discuss this together before any decision is made).
Dates
The 3rd Tuesday of each month (excepting August) 17.00 – 19.30 UK time on:
17 June 2025
15 July
16 September
21st October
18th November
16th December
Next steps
If you’d like to explore joining this group, please book yourself in for a 30 minute Zoom call here.
“Sometimes in group supervision the default is to defer to the supervisor’s expertise. Linda held her authority with a light touch; we never felt judged, rather encouraged and treated as equal thinking partners”. D, Internal Coach in a professional services firm.