Looking for a Clinical Supervisor?
If you are looking for a new supervisor, I can help. I have trained as an integrative supervisor at Regents College London and believe that good supervision is all about the relationship between supervisor and supervisee.
I work with counsellors and other helping professions such as youth workers, nurses, mental health staff and other caring professions.
Supervision is often used for helping you with difficulties you may be experiencing with clients, and to help you identify blind spots. However, I think there is so much more to supervision than this. With the right supervisor, you should feel supported and be able to grow both personally and professionally.
Here is what I think makes for good supervision:
Supportive: There are no such things as silly questions. You can ask for whatever information you need, and I will try to offer answers. Sometimes you simply might like a second opinion when faced with tough decisions.
Trust and honesty: If you feel I have missed something or made an assumption, I invite you to tell me if I have got it wrong, so we can put any disagreements right.
Restorative: Sometimes you need picking up when things have gone wrong or you may feel out of your depth, overwhelmed and in need of some reassurance when you’re not quite sure.
Celebrative: Bringing your successes to celebrate is just as important as bringing your mistakes.
Educative: Learning from the experience of each other is what makes for good learning.
Growth: I may suggest/loan books or reading material that may be useful to you and your studies or your practice.
Academic Support: I offer support with assignments, course work or accreditation
Safety: Your safety and welfare are just as important as your clients’. Taking care to work safely and ethically are paramount to good practice.
Signposting: Passing on useful information, whether that’s a free course that’s available or a network group in your area. If I have information that might be useful to you, I will offer this to you.
Business: As a private practitioner, I will also pass on my business experience should you require any help in matters such as fees, terms of business contracts etc.
Challenge: I think challenge is essential. But I aim to do this sensitively so that you do not feel discouraged or diminished by my challenges.
Responsive: Sometimes it’s necessary for support between sessions; should you need support in a hurry I offer a quick response, usually the same day.
Knowledge: I offer a depth and breadth of experience of working with adults and children in many settings and I am willing to share this with you, but there may be times where I don’t have an answer as I am human and still learning too.
Creative: As counsellor and play therapist, I think supervision can be creative and lively. We can draw it, make it, sing it or build it in the sand. Should our left brain not provide an answer, we can tap into the right brain to see what happens.
Fun: Supervision doesn’t need to be boring! I am down to earth with a sense of humour, which is how I stay grounded and sane.
I aim to be an honest and open supervisor. In fact, a warm welcome awaits all my supervisees whether they have been practicing for five years or five minutes.
BACP recommends a minimum of 1.5 hours per month for supervision.
If you would like to see if I am the right supervisor for you, then please contact me to book an appointment or for an informal chat.
Supervisee’s Testimonial Mel is always professional and holds ethical boundaries well. Mel offers a safe, warm and genuine environment enabling me to bring all the necessary material I need to our clinical supervision sessions. As I am a trainee counsellor, Mel is supportive in all aspects of our clinical supervision and shares her counselling knowledge readily to help enhance my theoretical understanding, clinical practise and personal development.-
Sharie – Counsellor
I enrolled upon a Masters in 2012 and can honestly say that until I found Mel I was virtually “blind”. When I first learnt that the course required me to have supervision I thought it was a waste of time, money and effort. For some less fortunate than me I am informed that (with their supervisors) it has been. This certainly cannot be said for Mel! She is so passionate about her work, she has helped me to understand the importance of supervision and I can honestly say I get my money’s worth! If you are training and looking for a supervisor I couldn’t recommend anyone else!
Chloe Evans – Play Therapist