Develop skills to supervise professionals.

• Learn more about the supervision process in counselling.
• Study the theory and practice of supervision.
• A 100 hour course consisting of 7 lessons covering - Introduction to Professional Supervision, Supervision Models, Ethics, Confidentiality, Approaches to Supervision, Managing Supervision, Supervision in Other Professions and more.
• Suitable for counsellors and anyone interested in learning more about the supervision processes and theories.
• Study for CPD, professional development or for interest.

COURSE STRUCTURE AND CONTENT

The course is divided into 7 lessons as follows:

Lesson 1. Introduction to Professional Supervision

• Introduction.
• Nature and scope of counselling.
• Defining supervision.
• Benefits of being supervised.
• Personal moral qualities of a counsellor.
• Case study.
• Your strengths and weaknesses.
• SWOT analysis.
• Qualities of a professional supervisor.
• Case study.

Lesson 2. Models of Supervision

• Beginning the super vision process.
• Contracts.
• Models of supervision.
• Mentoring.
• Proctors interactive model of supervision.
• Use of reflection in the theoretical framework.
• Forms of supervision: individual, group, self, agency.
• Reporting and record keeping.
• PBL: Create and present a plan with specific strategies for improving the supervision of employee’s work related skills, attitudes, and knowledge in the workplace, based on a clear understanding of the person’s needs, values, and situation.

Lesson 3. Professionalism, Ethics, and Legal Concerns

• Introduction and ethical codes.
• Supervisor professional standards.
• Ethical decisions.
• Responsibilities of supervisors to other professionals.
• Confidentiality.
• Informed consent.
• Multicultural counselling.
• Dual relationships.
• Professional boundaries.
• Complaints.
• Professional misconduct.
• Bringing the profession into disrepute.
• Sanctions.

Lesson 4. Different Approaches to Supervision

• Relevant theories or models.
• Developmental models.
• The Professional Development Model (PDM).
• Discrimination model.
• Issues in supervision.
• What is burnout.
• What causes burnout.
• Is stress the same as burn out.
• Online counselling and supervision.
• Telephone counselling.
• E mail or online counselling.
• How does online supervision work.
• International perspectives on counselling supervision.

Lesson 5. Supervision for Different Professions.

• Introduction.
• What to look for in an effective supervisor.
• Foundations of supervision.
• Supervision policy statement.
• Case study: Supervision in social work.
• Case study: Supervision in occupational health nursing.
• Case study: Supervision in the coaching profession.
• Case study: Supervision for child safety.
• Case study: Supervision in youth work.

Lesson 6. Organisational Considerations

• Introduction.
• Self governance, awareness and supervision.
• Defining requirements.
• Organisational dynamics.
• Team dynamics.
• Supervision and outside contractors.
• Benefits of supervision in an organisation.
• Education.

Lesson 7. Managing Supervision

• Issues in managing the process.
• Frequency and duration of supervision.
• Finance.
• Other elements.
• Motivating factors.
• Transference and counter transference.
• Power abuse.
• Selection of supervisors and supervision.
• Standardised and open methods of supervision.

COURSE AIMS

• To understand what is meant by professional supervision, why it is necessary, benefits and disadvantages.
• To define and compare different models of supervision including reciprocal mentoring, group supervision, self supervision, and agency supervision.
• To develop an understanding of professional issues of supervision including confidentiality, ethics, quality control, and legal concerns.
• To understand and define different approaches to supervision including psychoanalytic, cognitive-behavioural, solution-orientated, process-orientated and narrative methods.
• To understand some of the different approaches applied to supervision for different professional groups.
• To understand the different requirements of providing supervision in organisations where most employees are counsellors, organisations where counsellors are in the minority, and organisations of non-counsellors.
• To identify the different managerial components of the supervision process including budgeting, monitoring frequency of supervision, selection of supervisors, and the question of standardisation.

AVOID BURNOUT

Burnout is a psychological term that is used to describe the experience of diminished interest and long term exhaustion that can be experienced by anyone, but particularly those who are involved in stressful professions. It is almost considered an emotional exhaustion and reduced sense of personal accomplishment. This may include feelings of exhaustion, inefficacy and cynicism, and a lack of energy.  It is important to recognise burnout in clients, but also for the life coach to recognise burnout in themselves.

Anyone working to help people overcome serious problems (e.g. as a psychologist, counsellor, or life coach), is susceptible to "burn out". 

This is obviously not something that would be helpful to the coach or the client, but will hinder, and ultimately destroy the counselling or coaching process if left unchecked.
A professional needs to be able to help the client to change, by being positive and offering encouragement.  If they are not able to do this because they are burned out from helping others, then they will not really be supportive to their clients.  

Most counsellors really enjoy their work, but it can also be stressful. This constant stress without relief can leave a professional feeling helpless and worn out.  When a person is burnt out, they may find their problems seem insurmountable.  This can threaten their business, career, their relationships and their own health.  It is important to deal with burnout as soon as a coach recognises that they have it. The longer burnout is allowed to carry on, the harder it is to break away from the feelings of burnout.  It can make a person vulnerable to illnesses such as colds, flu, and so on.  

Burnout can be due to stress, but it is not the same as feeling stressed. When we feel stressed, it is because we have too much to deal with.  People who are stressed often feel that if they get everything under control that they will feel better. Burnout is about not enough. The person may feel empty, lacking in motivation and beyond caring. They do not see any hope of positive change in their life. So they disengage from their situation and begin to feel detached and worthless.

When you operate as an individual, without any reference to other professionals; your opportunity to de-stress is limited; and your risk of not even seeing the signs of stress developing, will increase.

A Professional Supervisor Helps Avoid Burnout

When you recognise the risks of burnout, it's risk can be minimised with strategies such as:

• Starting each day with relaxing rituals - rather than jumping out of bed straight into the day, they can try writing in a journal, doing gentle stretching exercises, reading a few pages of a book.
• Try to eat healthily - certain foods and additives or preservatives can build up toxins in our bodies which may affect our daily performances and behaviours. Other substances such as caffeine have addictive properties which can cause psychological disturbances such as mood swings, as well as feelings of discomfort when levels are low in our bodies. Other foods obviously increase risks of diseases such as heart disease, ulcers, and diabetes.
• Exercise regularly - exercise not only stimulates our muscles and bodily systems, but it also encourages the brain to release endorphins which make us feel good. A healthy body promotes a healthy mind. Make time to engage in a sporting activity - this gives you the opportunity to exercise and socialise at the same time.  
• Sleep well - between seven and eight hours sleep per day is regarded by health professionals to be paramount to optimal health. 
• Set boundaries – a coach needs to be able to say “no” to requests on their time. As before, they need to set boundaries of when they are available to clients and also within their personal life. Take regular breaks in your daily work, take at least one day off per week, and take the occasional holiday.
• Take breaks from technology - you should set times when they completely disconnect from technology. This means no laptop, tablet, texting, mobile phone, phone calls, and emails.  Moving away from technology for brief periods can lead to more business, for instance you might think about a new service you wish to offer, or you might use the time to plan where you would like to go on holiday.
• Nourish your creative side – as well as allowing time for creativity, a way to avoid burnout is also to try something new, a fun project, a new hobby, things that have nothing to do with work.
• Learn how to manage stress – employ stress management techniques to reduce feelings of stress.

Professionals of all types need supervision, to help put their work in perspective. This course can help you develop the skills to supervise others who are working as counsellors, coaches, welfare officers or in other "helping" professions.

HOW THE COURSE WORKS

Professional Supervision is a 100 hour course which you can start the course at any time.

It is studied by distance learning, so you can study in the comfort of your own home. But this doesn't mean you are all alone in your studies.  Our highly qualified and friendly tutors are there to help you every step of the way.  If you have any questions at all, they are always happy to help.

Each lesson includes set tasks, and is completed with an assignment which the student submits to their course tutor.  The tutor will mark the assignment and return this to the student with comments and suggestions for further reading.

WHAT OUR STUDENTS SAY

"The course was a valuable learning experience because it challenged my thinking regarding the application of supervision and how to apply supervision to different professions. The course exceeded my expectations, in particular because it explored other aspects of supervision such as burn-out, professionalism, ethics and legal concerns. The course has a very comprehensive approach to supervision, which makes for a more rounded supervisor."
Allan M Eno MSc (Hons) Degree, Clinical Supervisor/Manager, Harley St, London - UK, Professional Supervision course.

LEARNING WITH ACS

At ACS we provide you with more than just a set of course notes.

Your 'learning package' includes:

• Course notes.
• Self-assessment quizzes.
• Assignment feedback.
• You can interact one on one with a professional tutor with decades of experience - just email, phone or log on to chat to connect with them.

Study Professional Supervision and learn more about counsellor supervision.

• Learn more about counselling supervision theory, practice and ethical practice.

INTERESTED?

Ready to get started? - Go to “It’s Easy to Enrol” box at the top of the page and you can enrol now.

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Do you have any questions? Get in touch with our Professional Supervision tutors today - they will be more than happy to help you.