I am pleased to announce that I have now joined the Australian Counselling Association (ACA) - as a registered supervisor through the ACA’s College of Supervision and also as a Level 4 counsellor. I have provided individual and group supervision to a whole range of professionals for over ten years now – social workers, counsellors, welfare workers, youth workers, needle syringe program workers and allied health staff to name a few. This new registration means that I can also provide clinical supervision to the counsellors who are ACA members – all of whom are required to have a minimum of 10 hours of supervision per year with an ACA registered supervisor as part of their membership commitment.

I have been really impressed with the ACA’s policy document for professional supervision. It offers lots of detail about what is clinical supervision, the very good reasons for receiving regular, reflective supervision and what good supervision may include. It is a great resource to inform newer workers about supervision and to encourage them to really value what good supervision can offer.

Another great new resource for newer workers is a booklet which was launched recently. I was lucky enough to be sent a free copy of it and I found it really good. It is called: You deserve good supervision! A guide for supervisees and is written by Margaret Morrell from Vibrant Training. It is clear and specific about what good supervision looks and feels like and gives clear steps on how to negotiate the supervision you need. There is a great section on planning for and reflecting on supervision, rather than just turning up and hoping it will be useful.  Another thing I like about this booklet is how it normalises the fact that supervision is a necessary part on on-going reflective practice, not just a student tool.

Both of these resources can be found online, the policy on the ACA website and the booklet through Vibrant Training.