Let’s talk about talking: Stuck moments in supervision and how to get more from you next session.
- TheRelatingSpace
- Jan 15
- 4 min read
I have had the honour to start supervising colleagues last year. One of the first questions I ask is what individuals have found most helpful or least about their previous supervision spaces; or if just starting out, considering how they hope to get most from their supervision. There have been some definite patterns to responses. While supervision is meant to support stretch – and hence growth- in practice, I’ve been considerate to how we can get more from each hour to 90 minutes. In this article I look at 5 ways supervision can feel stuck and 5 ways to resolve these stuck moments, and get the most out of your next space.
Stuck point 1: What to bring from casework>
Get more approach 1: Prepare with pre reflection questions.
While there will be some natural variety to the supervision space if you are qualified or a trainee, based on whether all cases need to be discussed each session- many supervisees feel stuck as to what to bring to the supervision space. Overinclusion of content or bringing up the biggest worry at the end of the session, rather than thinking you need to know what to bring having a group of questions to support planning your supervision with prior reflection can be immensely helpful. I have included below some starting questions to check in with yourself around your casework themed around thinking ‘errors’ that may mean we feel stuck.
Personal to Poignant -WHAT/ SO WHAT/ NOW WHAT to the uncertain
1. What are you worried about?
2. +how have you approached that worry?
3. +what do you remain needing support on?
Pervasive to Perspective-Noticing the differences in your approach.
4. What intervention/s did you approach with a client case this month?
5. +How did you select that/those intervention/s?
6. +What do you feel went well or less well using the/those intervention/s?
Permanence to Presence- Querying the thoughts and feelings that linger.
7. Have any client stories been thought about repeatedly after session?
8. +Any thoughts as to why?
9. How have you felt in casework / have any clients evoked somatic responses?
10. How have you felt in casework re pace?
Stuck point 2: What to bring from outside casework>
Get more approach 2: Permission to discuss anything from Proctor’s holistic ‘Formative, Normative, Restorative’ frame.
Supervision is more than casework alone- it has a role to develop and contain the supervisee. While we may get concerned whether to bring certain aspects of ourselves into the room with a client, to stay client centred and enable the best work with client’s supervision has a role to be ‘supervisee aware’. Discussing professional development goals, talking through personal context and challenges all has a space in supervision. This is not a replacement for own therapy or coaching- but it is important to not compartmentalise from our therapy, or our casework our own humanity, as it will already be present in the room, and only through discussion can the richness of client work be more fully understood. Undoubtedly as therapy is as much about process as content, bringing wider practice questions to supervision can be fundamental so your supervisor can reflect with you noted patterns and ‘parallel processes’ through working that may be relevant.
Stuck point 3: Beginning sessions ‘well’>
Get more approach 3: Start with a single priority and signpost a Wishlist across sessions.
Knowing where to start can be difficult and this ‘initiation paralysis’ can have the potential to detriment a supervision session. Different brains work in different ways with prioritising, and supervision can take tangents. To support a start ‘think of one’ and ‘allow the scatter’ is something I hold with supervisees. We know often only one single takeaway will emerge from a single therapy session and it is ok to discuss one key thing and hold that intention in mind with supervision. Equally we can often worry about missing out- and writing out a ‘wish list’ of topics for supervision can hold the thread of thinking between supervision sessions, returning to a held list of topics.
Stuck point 4: Being misunderstood>
Get more approach 4: Use a model and discuss ‘loves and hates’ of a supervision space ahead.
Judgement, critique and feeling less- I have heard many supervisee’s noting challenges in past supervision where supervision has not felt supportive and they have felt misunderstood. Having a model to structure supervision can support discussing challenging topics that will inevitably be part of supervision, as can discussing the process of the supervisory relationship. A favoured model I use is the seven eyed model of supervision- have a google, there are lots of links on this as a popular frame. Much newer as a focus to anti oppressive practice is discussing the loves and hates of supervision – I include a PDF below for this with reference to the book it is adapted from published just this year.
Stuck point 5: Implementing what’s discussed>
Get more approach 5- Schedule an extra 5 mins to write out key takeaways and schedule actions.
Implementation requires two key tasks- holding and actioning one’s understanding. A key focus I take with clients is to emphasize the use of a journal to hold reflections from therapy sessions and external planners to set time outside of sessions; similarly in supervision the role of post session reflection can be extremely useful. Planning a break after supervision to note key bullet points and immediately plan additional reflective or actionable time can be highly supportive. This does not need to be an equal time to supervision, aiming for simplicity to enable initiation for planning in 5-10minutes after supervision, 1-5 key take aways and planned slot/s into the next month to action.
On that I bring an end to this article with an invite If one of your next actions is trying a new supervision space to get in touch, supervisory fit to all the above points being ever important.
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