This six month supervisor certificate course is offered to qualified and established professionals who assist others to develop mastery, depth and responsible practice in the fields of psychotherapy, counselling, mediation, mental health and pastoral care.

Supervision is viewed as a learning pathway – based on reflection, modelling, coaching and the exercise of good judgement – which is undertaken in a contractual relationship between supervisor and supervisee. The supervisory process assists the integration of skills, knowledge and competency, through casework experience and review, in support of development of an autonomous professional identity.

The reflective alliance of supervision builds the capacity of supervisees to engage thoughtfully with the new and unknown in their work.  It provides a reliably accessible sounding board for the challenging situations arising in professional life. This requires that supervisors have a capacity for engagement over time with the supervisee’s unique journey, a flexible approach to modes and styles of learning, wise judgement, and an expanded knowledge of the field.  Supervision training builds the supervisor’s capacity to be non-defensive and calm, to hold the reflective space open, and to avoid the pulls to frustration, rescue, control, blame or withdrawal. 

A key purpose for supervision is the ongoing development of the internal supervisory space in the mind of the supervisee so that complex dilemmas can be worked with fruitfully. The overall goal is the best possible progress and outcome for the clients of the supervisee.

The Advanced Training Course in Professional Supervision provides a supervision framework applicable to a range of helping professions and work contexts.  It is suitable for those who supervise in agencies and training bodies, as well as supervisors of therapists in private practice.   

As an advanced supervisor training, this course aims to build solid supervisory expertise which supports optimal development of supervisee competence.  The training model holds the supervisory relationship as fundamental to the learning process.  Coursework includes theoretical and experiential approaches and its design is founded on the principles of adult learning theory. The course encompasses 63 formal training hours.

The course is designed to assist novice supervisors develop competence and confidence, as well as provide a solid learning extension for those with prior experience as supervisors.