For or against supervision

There seem to be two camps when it comes to coaching supervision.  Some coaches swear by it and say it’s essential; they couldn’t imagine coaching without it.  Other coaches are more laid back about it and see supervision as a luxury. They say it’s a nice addition, but don’t see it as integral to their coaching practice.

 What is coaching supervision?

The validity of supervision can cause endless discussions and angst.  With a coaching supervisor costing £100+ per session some coaches see this as an unnecessary expense rather than a sound investment.

Coaching supervision is hard to explain to those who haven’t experienced it.  Here’s an introduction to supervision if you’re unsure.  In essence supervision enables you to take a step back from your coaching and to develop yourself and your coaching practice.  Undertaking supervision can also help you earn more money.  More and more organisations will only employ you as a coach if you can show that you’re being supervised by a qualified supervisor

Supervision – how important is it?

At the moment coaching is unregulated. There is no compulsion for coaches to be trained, let alone work with a supervisor.  However, if you want to be accreditated through coaching bodies then you’ll need to undergo supervision.  Michael Carroll is a chartered psychologist, trainer, author and accredited supervisor; he believes coaches miss out on crucial learning and development if they fail to engage a supervisor.  Here he is explaining why he thinks supervision is important.

As Michael says it can feel like quite a vulnerable place when you open up to your supervisor. It feels risky to share areas that you fear you might be judged on. This is why it’s really important to have a coaching supervisor that you can trust. 

What do you think about coaching supervision?

As a coach do you undergo supervision?  Do you think it’s important to use a qualified supervisor?  Let me hear your views about the pros and cons of supervision.

You can find out more of the work of Michael Carroll here

Two excellent events from Coaching Connect coming soon: "Taking your coaching to the next level". If you want to discover ways of finding new clients, listen to world class speakers and connect and collaborate with fellow coaches, this is the event for you.

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