Supervision

Supervision is a formal process in which a qualified or trainee psychotherapist or psychotherapeutic counsellor regularly presents his or her client work to a designated or chosen supervisor as way of enhancing their practice through careful reflection on the process.

The main purpose of supervision is to ensure the efficacy of the therapist’s psychotherapy practice which, in turn, will enable a therapist to work towards the best possible psychotherapy practice for their clients.

Supervision is conducted within a formal working relationship. But it can take different constructs such as in groups, on a one-to-one basis, by telephone, by internet, in writing or by video.

Supervision in UKCP

UKCP members may be required to follow a number of supervision policies.

UKCP has an overarching policy on supervision: our supervision statement. This applies to all members.

We also have Supervision Standards of Education and Training that set the requirements for supervision courses run by our organisational members. And we have Practice Guidelines for Supervisors, detailing supervisors’ tasks and responsibilities, which supervisees may also find useful for ensuring they are getting all they need from supervision.

In addition to these UKCP documents which apply to all members, each UKCP College has a supervision statement, setting out their modality-specific requirements for members belonging to that college. In addition, some UKCP organisational members may have their own additional supervision policies.