Supervision for Trainee Counsellors

Supervision for Trainee Counsellors

Supervision for Trainee Counsellors – If you are a trainee counsellor about to start your clinical placement you may be looking for a Clinical Supervisor. It is a good idea to start looking for someone in plenty of time before you start your placement.

Paul Carter has worked as a counsellor/psychotherapist since 2003 and as a Supervisor since 2008. He works with short-term clients using EMDR for PTSD, trauma and abuse, or CBT and solution focused models for other issues. The aim here is to help clients to learn strategies and solutions for coping with their difficulties.

Paul works in Supervision Sessions using the Gestalt and Person Centred models. It is Paul’s intention to help support supervisees to explore and reflect on the work with their clients & work through any difficulties. He works with Supervisees in a relational way. Paul’s specialisms are trauma, including all kinds of abuse, depression and anxiety and other forms of Mental Illness including Personality Disorders.

Below are things to consider when you are finding a supervisor.

  • Recommendations and research – Ask other counsellors and your tutors for recommendations on supervisors.
  • Does your course have a recommended supervisors list?
  • Research counsellors profiles and websites, do these counsellors fit your theoretical approach and way of working?
  • Have a conversation with anyone you are considering working with and see if you are the right fit for each other.
  • Find out what contract the Supervisor has. Does this work for you?
  • Do you need certain reports completing? Is the supervisor willing to do this? Is this something that needs to be done in sessions or will your supervisor do it outside of sessions? Make sure that you bring the report to supervision in plenty of time for it to be completed.
  • What amount of supervision do you need to have to satisfy your course and professional body. Make sure that your supervisor can offer you the right amount of supervision.
  • Do you have to fill in a log of your supervision and clients? Do this as you go along so that you don’t have it all to do at the end.
  • Can you contact your supervisor in between sessions? If so does this cost money.
  • Have a session with your supervisor before you start seeing any clients. When you start to see clients for the first time it can be daunting. Having a session with your supervisor before you begin can offer a lot of containment and reassurance. You can discuss any concerns or worries you have, practice your contracting and how you will support yourself after your first session.

Below are some other blogs on this website and other websites that you might find useful.

Trainee Counsellor? Clinical Supervision

Psychotherapy and Clinical Supervision

Clinical Supervision, Trainees and Qualified Therapists

The BACP and UKCP have a number of fact sheets and useful resources on choosing a supervisor

BACP – Supervision

UKCP – Supervision

If you would like to make an appointment with Paul to explore if he would be the appropriate supervisor for you please call him on 07843813537 or fill in the form on the Contact Page, if he doesn’t answer he is probably in a session, please leave him a message and he will call you back as soon as he can.

changing of the seasons