The Philosophy of Supervision at ICPPD

ICPPD endorses and appreciates supervision as a profession in its own right. Supervision, and the associated intellectual, emotional, financial and time commitment, is seen as an investment in a useful personal and professional resource.

ICPPD’s philosophy, and that of the programme, supports supervision in the facilitation of learning which includes the knowledge, competence and skills required for the management of the supervisory context, environment and relationship, the ongoing ethical requirement of self-care, and the ultimate responsibility for good practice and quality service for clients engaging in therapy and with other helping professions. The programme is strengthened by a holistic ethos which incorporates a humanistic approach, creative processes, and appreciation of the interconnectedness of body, mind and spirit.

Why Supervision?

Supervision, at its core, is a process of professional learning and development that enables individuals to reflect on and develop their knowledge, skills, and competence, through agreed and regular support with another professional. It is a collaborative process that involves guiding, instructing, challenging and supporting the supervisee. A person who performs supervision is a “supervisor”, a person who is getting supervision is the “supervisee”.

ICPPD embraces Michael’s Carroll’s approach to supervision –

“The heart of supervision is learning—the learning of the supervisee” (Carroll & Gilbert, 2005). “The medium of learning in supervision is reflection, hopefully critical reflection” (Carroll, 2009a). “The focus of learning in supervision is the work = the practice of the supervisee. The supervisor is or becomes a facilitator of supervisee-learning-from-practice (reflective practice). The what-is-being-learned of supervision is anything to do with the work: theory, skills, induction into a profession, professional savvy and wisdom, skills and competencies, self-awareness, ethical awareness and sensitivity, ability to use intuition and that array of knowledge, skills, attitudes, values, and mind-sets that go to make up the professional in whatever profession. The methods used by supervisors to facilitate learning are many, ranging from teaching, training, and instruction through to role-play, skills development, self-awareness, feedback, challenge, insight, parallel process, and sharing their own experience.”  – Michael Carroll.

We are moving into a new era of supervision characterised by a capacity for across-professional practice based on philosophies of learning rather than particular professional practices. As we do so the previous language of ‘contracting’, which highlighted roles and responsibilities, becomes less helpful. We will explore the process of negotiating and evaluating ‘learning agreements’ with supervisees.

In doing this we will consider the supervisory relationship as a participative inquiry. Within the framework of action research, both supervisors and supervisees engage in critical reflexivity and we will explore the benefit of reflexive learning journals. Dr Bobby Moore

Supervision is seen by the Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (IACP) as vital to the process and ongoing maintenance of a Counsellor’s/Psychotherapist’s competency and continued accreditation. All IACP Members working as Counsellor/Psychotherapists are bound by the IACP Code of Ethics and Practice to monitor their work through regular Supervision, to ensure that their standard of Counselling/ Psychotherapy is competent and continues to develop.

Who should consider this programme?

This intensive part-time programme (comprising over 110+ hours) is intended for

• counsellors, psychotherapists and psychologists
• other professionals (including educators, guidance counsellors, psychologists, managers, Gardaí, prison officers, complementary therapists, community workers, healthcare and other helping professionals)
• all who supervise the work of others in the helping professions or are preparing to supervise
• those who are intending, beginning or already practising supervisors, and wish to understand the vision, principles and practice of Supervision.

Programme Aims

The aim of this Diploma in Supervision across Professions – a Holistic Approach programme is to enable and empower participants to become competent supervisors and facilitators of learning, while working in a humanistic, integrative, holistic and creative way, which underpins the ethos of the programme and all ICPPD programmes (link to holistic page).

Syllabus:

The programmes covers:

• Definitions and purpose of Supervision – its goals, tasks, functions and process and knowledge of research developments in the field of supervision.
• Theories and models of supervisory process explored include Hawkins and Shohet, Carroll, Moore, Wosket, Inskipp and Proctor, Stoltenberg and Delworth, and Holloway.
• Learning Styles of individuals and groups.
• The training development and supervisory needs of supervisors and supervisees.
• Use of participants own casework to role-play for learning and discussion.
• Awareness of transference, countertransference, parallel process and empathetic resonance in helping relationships.
• Reflection on contextual similarities and differences of one-to-one, group and organisational supervision.
• Diversity, inclusivity, ethical and professional issues in supervision.
• Self-reflection and reflexive practice as a learning tool to develop the internal supervisor
• Writing supervisory reports and fitness to practice evaluations.

Learning & Teaching Strategies:

The holistic ethos that underpins all programmes offered at ICPPD will be inherent in this training and education course.

The programme is supported by a learning environment that is experiential and highly interactive with:

• lectures
• small and large group discussion
• simulated live supervision working groups
• role-play and creative exercises.

Modelling by the facilitators is an important facet of the learning methods.

Assessment Strategies:

As this is a programme for mature and experienced professionals and accredited therapists, the focus of assessment includes ongoing self, peer and lecturer assessment and feedback.

The assessment of learning outcomes will be implemented through mechanism such as:

Theoretical essays

Class presentations

Reflection papers

Learning journal.

Ongoing/in-class assessment on the use of facilitation skills, reflexivity awareness and empathetic resonance

External and Internal supervisors’ reports form an integral part of the ongoing assessment of participants on this programme.

Admission Criteria:

Applicants must be qualified professionals who are intending/have begun to supervise the work of others.

Applicants must be a minimum of 4 years’ accredited if a counsellor/psychotherapist or 3 years experience as a professional/clinician/practitioner is required.

To secure a place on this programme please submit the following

(a) application form (LINK)

(b) a 300-word Statement of Interest Essay, explaining why you wish to engage in Supervision Training, and

(c) a letter of recommendation from your current Supervisor.

Documented evidence that an applicant meets the entry requirements must be furnished with the application form.

The application should be accompanied by a non-refundable deposit of €270.

Following a review of your application, we will call you to arrange an interview, which may be conducted by telephone or virtually.

To support a holistic and experiential experience, class numbers are limited to 20 participants and allocated on a first come first served basis following the interview.

NOTE: Trainee supervisors must hold professional indemnity insurance cover – a copy of the current insurance policy is required to be submitted by participants on commencement of the programme.

Applicants entitled to a full refund of this deposit if they decide to cancel within 7 days of receipt of their application. Should an application be unsuccessful or cancelled by the applicant following this 7-day period, an administration fee of €100 is retained, and the balance of €170 is refunded to the applicant.

When an applicant accepts a place on an ICPPD programme, any fees paid become subject to ICPPD’s Financial Terms & Conditions, which are outlined in the ICPPD’s Quality Assurance policies in relation to refunds, payment plan, etc.

Additional Programme Information:

This Diploma is delivered over 110+ hours’ class contact time, including a final integration weekend.

Learners must meet the attendance requirement of minimum 85%.

Additional scheduled requirements for this educational and training programme include

• A mandatory Induction Session on commencement that will outline all requirements of the programme; this will include an introduction to ICPPD’s virtual learning environment (Moodle), library resources, the Learner Handbook and all relevant documents, forms, procedures and supports for learners
• Plenary Group Session(s) which offer all involved in the programme the opportunity to give and receive constructive feedback. It is scheduled on at least two occasions during the year and will be facilitated by the Academic Director (not the Core Tutors)
• Individual Progression Interviews – scheduled with the Core Tutors/Programme Leader to ensure all academic, professional and financial requirements have been met on completion of the programme

To support the holistic focus of the Diploma in Advanced Supervision across Professions programme, learners facilitate a 5-minute reflection at the beginning of each class to deepen self-awareness and encourage self-support.

• It is important to note that while this is a learning group, the group is not important in itself – the individual as a learner is a priority in this programme.

• The participant is registered to meet their own needs as a fledgling supervisor, the group members and tutors facilitate this exploration and learning experience to provide a space for learning to flourish.

Supervision Practice

• A minimum of 50 hours of supervised supervision practice is required within the duration of the course. These practice hours may be a blend of one-to-one, peer, or group supervision, and must be formally contracted in the ratio of 25 internal and 25 external practice hours.
• The minimum 25 hours of internal supervision practice/experience during the programme may be gained through 20 hours of supervised work with a designated peer and a minimum of 5 hours’ practice within the course learning environment.
• This experiential work is evaluated and supported by a minimum of 5 hours of external supervision of the trainee’s supervision practice, ratio 1-5. The chosen External Supervisor should work in a complementary and supportive style and must be approved (in advance) by the programme Programme Leader.
• Documentation to support the supervised supervision practice is required as evidence of attendance and ongoing learning.
• Each participant on this Diploma in Advanced Supervision across Professions programme is required to be responsible for ensuring they are meeting the criteria of their chosen professional body.
• ICPPD will provide Internal Group Supervision as a modelling and learning experience and support to trainee supervisors.
• External and Internal supervisors’ reports will form an integral part of the ongoing assessment of participants on this programme.

Programme Quality Assurance

• A learner representative will be nominated by the group to present feedback to Programme Board meetings during the year.
• Trainees evaluate their learning experience, content, delivery and facilities at the end of each week-end and on completion of the programme through a Feedback/Evaluation Form.

 Academic Resources

• ICPPD uses Moodle, a virtual learning environment (VLE), to disseminate class material and share course-related resources, as well as news, assignment details, discussion fora, etc.
• The College also provides access to EBSCO e-Library, e-Journal and other resources through Moodle. These resources facilitate the support of learners at outreach centres, and through out-of-hours times.

Academic Writing Workshops

• Academic Writing Workshops are provided free of charge at the commencement of the Academic Year covering areas including Academic Writing Conventions, Critical Thinking, Formatting and Presentation, Referencing, USE of Moodle and Library facilities.

Award:

Participants who successfully complete the programme will be awarded ICPPD’s Diploma in Supervision Across Professions
– A Holistic Approach

Accreditation:

This Diploma in Supervision Across Professions – A Holistic Approach is accredited by IACP .

It is the responsibility of the applicant to check with their preferred professional body/association to ensure this programme meets their criteria.