Purpose

The vital role of career-long supervision that supports ongoing learning and development for the practitioner is recognised within many helping professions.

Professional associations underscore the importance of supervision by requiring members to meet annual requirements of set supervision hours with a suitable supervisor.

The provision of professional supervision is increasingly regarded as a specialist expertise.  It encompasses a broad range of competencies beyond the supervisor’s primary professional role. In addition to the supervisor’s knowledge and wisdom acquired through clinical or field experience, substantial training for the supervisor role is essential to develop high-level supervisory skills and capacities, enabling the supervisor to respond effectively to the multilayered and sometimes very complex concerns and needs of supervisees.

SupervisionWA provides comprehensive supervisor training over an extended 6 month training period to support the growth and consolidation of theoretical understanding, practical skills, and identity as supervisor.

Accreditation

PACFA (Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia)
The Advanced Training Course in Professional Supervision is suited to a range of helping professions, including counselling and psychotherapy. The course has been designed to comply with the Supervision Training Standards of PACFA to support those graduates of the course who are PACFA members to become PACFA Accredited Supervisors.

ACA (Australian Counselling Association)
The Advanced Training Course in Professional Supervision is an ACA Recognised Supervisor Training Course. ACA members who complete the course – and undertake an additional assessment process – are eligible to apply for accreditation as ACA Recognised Supervisors.

AAOS (Australasian Association of Supervisors)
Graduates of the Advanced Training Course in Professional Supervision are eligible to apply to AAOS for Supervisor Associate Membership under the RPL pathway.  When Associate Members then gain the full required hours of supervision of supervision (15), client hours (80), and theory hours (72), they are eligible to upgrade to Supervisor Membership.

Acknowledgement of Country

SupervisionWA trainers, trainees and graduates acknowledge our places of training and work as the Wadjuk Noongar homeland from the Dreamtime. We pay our respects to the traditional custodians, ancestors, and continuing cultural and spiritual practices of the Wadjuk Noongar. We honour Wadjuk elders past, present, and to come, who contribute to the life of this region. We continue the work of caring for the people of this region in developing the strength and resilience of supervisors who are becoming elders in the psychotherapy, counselling, and pastoral fields.

Course Outline
 

• Understanding the supervisory relationship
• Differentiating the supervisor from manager, therapist or colleague
• Establishing the supervision contract
• Managing anxiety around learning
• Effective feedback, evaluation and reporting

• The different roles of the supervisor: educator, consultant, evaluator, facilitator, mentor
• Role boundaries and multiple role management
• Authorisation issues

• The supervisory process and dynamics
• Authority relations
• Transference and countertransference in supervision
• Parallel process
• Shame-sensitive supervision
• Intervening productively, including for vicarious trauma and burnout

• Seven focal points
• Stage theory and levels of learning
• Learning models
• Systems theory model of supervision
• Role analysis and concretisation techniques in supervision
• Relational stance

• Forms of group supervision
• Benefits and pitfalls of group vs individual supervision vs peer supervision
• Facilitation of group process with a supervisory purpose

• Philosophy and values for supervision
• Responsibilities of the supervisor
• Ethical dilemmas in practice
• Ethical concerns in supervision
• Supervision notes, use of video and tape recordings

• Development of professional identity
• Supporting the individual style of supervisee
• Authority relations and authorisation
• Developing individual style as supervisor

Course Structure

This 6 month course requires a commitment to 12 face-to-face half-day training sessions, structured over 2 Modules.

Training Sessions
Coursework includes a combination of conceptual and experiential learning delivered in large group seminars. The style of teaching encompasses a mix of theory, discussion, demonstration, supervised practice, peer practice and reflection.

Smaller, dedicated reflective groups explore specific supervision applications and provide opportunities for trainees to present their experiences of working with supervisees. Trainers offer consultation on specific dilemmas that arise for trainees in providing supervision.

Practice Triads
In addition to formal coursework, trainees undertake 12 hours of supervision practice within trainee Practice Triads held outside regular class times.

Written Work
Three assignments are required to be submitted over two modules.

MODULE ONE :   Six Fridays, fortnightly: 1.00pm to 5.00pm

MODULE TWO:   Six Fridays, fortnightly: 1.00pm to 5.00pm

Admission Criteria

Participants are required to have:

1. Recognised qualifications within their field of professional practice
2. At least 4 years clinical experience within their professional field
3. Substantial hours of supervision of their own clinical work (applicants from fields less familiar with supervision are invited to discuss their situation with the Course Registrar)
4. An active supervision practice during the training course
   OR
   For novice supervisors, at least one ongoing supervisee by the commencement of
   Module 2 of the training course

Course Timetable 2025

Important Dates 2025 Course

Post Training Support for Graduate Supervisors

There will be opportunity for graduates of the training course to participate in a facilitated reflective supervision group for supervisors as a means of further consolidation of the supervisory role. Details will be provided towards the completion of the training course.

Graduates of the course are eligible for listing in the SupervisionWA website Supervisor Directory.

Terms and Conditions

Registration Policy
To apply for enrolment in the course download and complete the website Application Form.  Submit by emailing to the Course Registrar.  EFT payment of the $200 deposit is payable at the same time. You will be notified about the success of your application, and further course information will be sent to you if your application is accepted.

The final decision regarding inclusion of any individual in the training is at the discretion of the trainers and is non-negotiable. The deposit will be refunded (less a $50 administration fee) if your application does not meet the training criteria or is deemed not sufficiently suited to the training environment.

Full payment of the balance of the course fee is required by Friday 31 January 2025 to secure registration.  Late enrolments (subsequent to this date) will be accepted, depending on vacancies,with full payment of the course fee required upon notification of successful enrolment. 

Payment by instalments can be arranged by emailing the Course Registrar prior to the cut-off date for payment of the balance of course fees ($50 admin fee applies).

Cancellation Policy
A full refund of the course fee, less a $50 administration fee, is given for a formal cancellation notice received by email up to 14 days prior to the commencement date of the course (up to 31 February 2025).  Cancellations received up to 7 days after this date (until 7 February 2025) will forfeit the deposit of $200.  For cancellations received less than 7 days prior to the commencement of the course (after 7 February 2025) no refund is payable.  No refund will be given for withdrawal once training has commenced.

These cut-off dates are final and non-negotiable. We appreciate that medical conditions or other emergencies can occur, but SupervisionWA cannot accept financial responsibility in these situations.

Registrations may be transferred to another person prior to the commencement of the course provided the Admission Requirements are met by the substitute participant and the transfer of registration is arranged with the consent of the facilitators.

In the event that the course is cancelled, tuition fees will be refunded in full.

Assessment Requirements
In addition to meeting the minimum course attendance quota (as outlined below), trainees must complete a number of written and practice requirements to satisfy the course criteria for successful graduation. These requirements are outlined at the commencement of the course.

A trainee who fails to fulfil these requirements is considered not to have completed the course, and would not be eligible to receive the graduation certificate as trained supervisor, nor be included in the SupervisionWA website Supervisor Directory.

Attendance Quota
It is a requirement of training that trainees attend most training sessions. It is allowable to miss 3 training half-days, with only 2 training half-days able to be missed per module. A trainee who misses more than 3 training half-days, or more than 2 per module, will potentially be considered not to have met the requirements of the course.

It may be possible to compensate for missed training sessions which exceed the allowable quota through undertaking additional training requirements. This decision is at the discretion of the Principal Trainers, and by prior negotiation preferably (where circumstances permit). The nature of the compensatory training requirement/s would be determined by the Principal Trainers in discussion with the trainee.

In the instance where a significant proportion of the course is missed and cannot be made up for by compensatory requirements, the trainee may have opportunity to complete their training by participating in relevant sections of the subsequent Advanced Training Course in Professional Supervision (fees apply). This decision is at the discretion of the Principal Trainers.

Verification Of Training
Participants who successfully complete all course requirements will be issued a certificate of completion of the Advanced Training Course in Professional Supervision.

Participant Numbers
Participant numbers do not exceed 20 trainees per training group to facilitate an optimal learning environment.