Comments from Supervision clients

Manager, coach and trainee therapist

"I was lucky enough to be one of the first members of Elspeth`s supervision group when she set this up over three years ago now in South London. We meet approx every 6 – 8 weeks and the small number in the group (5) allows each person to have quality time to consider current client work.

Although the group is facilitated by Elspeth, who is a trained supervisor, as we all offer comments and reflections on the cases presented, we each become supervisors in our own right for the evening – the wisdom of 5 people for the price of one! I think this technique has allowed me to tune in more sensitively to my clients and has definitely helped me improve my own practice.

It is also interesting to note that even when you are not presenting a case for discussion, you always seem to learn from other group members` dilemmas. It is helpful to realise that you are not alone in having similar concerns or issues to deal with in client sessions.

Elspeth is electic in her use of supervision models including the use of the 7 eyed model -Hawkins & Shohet. She often focuses on systemic thinking which is great for people who are coaching clients working in organizations.

In addition, I have found it such a rich experience to learn from such diversity in the group: we all have different ways of working and so seeing the world – this has helped me open up my view of what might be going on for my clients and has offered me more tools to use in subsequent sessions with them."

Coach and HR consultant

"I wanted to thank you for the insights you gave me at group supervision this week. They really helped me reflect on my identity as a coach and as “me”. I am going to work through the daisy model again to help me collate existing scripts I might not be consciously aware of and ones I would want to create to enable me develop further as a coach. I’m still determined to be equivalent to those jazz musicians we read about on the Tacit Knowing day!"

An Associate’s feedback to the MD at a consultancy where I supervise both the Associates and the MD

“Just wanted to thank you for making Elspeth available as a supervisor, and funding it, she is a tremendous resource within our community."

Comments from organisational consultant supervision clients:

"I am better at being in the moment with someone’s feeling and working with it, for eg what I felt with this client was overwhelming sadness, without going to my own place of overwhelming sadness; so I could be much more skilful”

“When I work now I will say to myself ‘I wonder what Elspeth would do’ and this helps me think up something good. Recently I recalled your voice ‘all you can do is to reinforce the positives and know that there is meaning in the system however dysfunctional’ and this helped me focus on what he was doing well”

“The crucial thing I took away was a reflection you had about my feelings getting in the way, I was too much engaged, personally, to be clear about what I was facilitating for him”