Transformational Learning for Counsellors and Psychotherapists
This Relational Supervision diploma course is designed for counsellors, psychotherapists, counselling psychologists and others in the helping professions who have significant experience and who want training in relational supervision. This also includes those who work in, for, or with an organisation. You may already be supervising and seeking qualification for what you do.
Co-taught by Karl Gregory and Sheila McCarthy-Dodd. This course has Advanced Specialist Training recognition with the National Counselling Society (NCS).
Background to this course
This course has developed over ten years, it began in 2006 to promote and enhance standards in counselling and psychotherapy supervision. In our development over the years we took a ‘Relational Turn’ with an emphasis on the transformational potential of
supervision.
We have focused our courses on the paradigm shift from therapist to supervisor; seeing this as a major part of a developmental process for supervisors. We do not therefore
‘teach’ supervision but assist in the development of supervisors using a relational approach that is now influencing many therapy models and approaches.
Aims of the Course
- To develop the art of relational supervision
- To familiarise participants with some current theories and practice of counselling/ psychotherapy supervision
- To encourage participants in developing a sensitivity to context in their supervision work
- To be conversant with research
- To develop individual and group supervision skills
- To develop creative, relational and transformative supervision skills
- To support participant’s personal and professional development as a supervisor
Entry Requirements
- Diploma in counselling/psychotherapy [or equivalent in a related field i.e. coaching]
- At least 2 years post qualification experience
- Completed a minimum of 450 supervised counselling hours
- Be a registered member of a professional organisation (i.e. NCS, UKCP, or BACP)
- Be able to see at least two supervisees.
- Be able to provide two references one of whom is your supervisor.
- Be willing and able to commit to the 4 weekends and 8 online evenings, and attend support/learning group between course weekends.
- Have a supervisor who can offer a minimum of 10 hours supervision to you throughout the course
- Have indemnity insurance if working independently of an organisation.
Course Structure
This 72 hour taught course includes theory, practice, discussion and experiential learning. The course members meet for 6 weekends every alternate month. Learning support groups will be set up to meet between the course weekends.
The course is assessed through reflective writing, a case study and an audio assessment. There is self, peer and tutor evaluation with final assessments made by the tutors.
This course complies with the standards expected by other professional organisations such as the NCS, UKCP and the BACP.
How big is the group?
Groups are of 12-14 participants and we work with two facilitators at all times, male and female, to enhance the breadth and depth of experiences.
Where will the course take place?
Online (zoom) and in person in Stroud, Gloucestershire
Further Reading
Course Dates
Running from October 2023 to June 2024, the course consists of a mix of group meeting and online learning.
First day we start at 9am for registration then subsequent days are 9.30am to 4.30pm on Fridays & Saturdays
Weekend 1: 6th & 7th October 2023
Zoom Evenings: 4pm to 7pm
19th October
16th November
30th November
14th December
Weekend 2: 19th & 20th January 2024
Zoom Evenings
8th February
29th February
14th March
28th March
Weekend 3: 19th & 20th April
Weekend 4: 28th & 29th June
Running from September 2022 to July 2023, the course consists of a mix of group meeting and online learning.
In Person 2022/23 Dates
All Friday/Saturday weekends in person in Stroud, Gloucestershire:
30th Sept – 1st Oct, 2022
20th – 21st Jan, 2023
21st – 22nd April
30th Jun – 1st July
Online 2022/23 Dates
Thursday evenings via zoom:
Thurs 20th Oct
Thurs 17th Nov
Thurs 1 Dec
Thurs 15 Dec
Thurs 9 Feb 2023
Thurs 2 Mar
Thurs 16 Mar
Thurs 30 Mar
How to Book
Diploma in Relational Supervision
- All inclusive rate
- deposit of £300 is required upon booking
Payment in instalments can be arranged.
Applications
Applications will need to be covered by two references one of whom is a current supervisor who can give up to date information on personal and professional qualities.
Meet your Tutors
Co-taught by Karl Gregory and Sheila McCarthy-Dodd
Karl Gregory
SRN, RMN, MSc Counselling, Dip. in Psychotherapy Supervision, FNCS Acc.
I am an integrative relational therapist – integrating relational, existential and systems approaches.
Sheila McCarthy-Dodd
DipCW, DipCouns, MBACP
I am a qualified counsellor and have trained extensively in group facilitation, couples work, systemic constellations and clinical supervision.
Past Conferences and Associated Documents
We have collected together the resources from our past Supervision Conferences as a shared resource.
Supervision Conference UK 2018
Supervision: Balance in an Unstable World?
Held on Saturday 7th April 2018
Thanks to everyone who attended Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre on April 7th for the 2018 Supervision Conference UK. There was a real sense of collegiality at the conference which made the schedule for the day all the more rich.
Some of the content from those who offered the workshops, masterclasses and the Key note speech is now available below.
- Key Note Slides
- Key Note Speech Text
- Dialogue Masterclass (Alison Hodge & Edna Murdoch)
- Systemic Lens Masterclass (Clare Crombie & Sheila McCarthy-Dodd)
- Making images workshop (Ursula Frank)
- Second Hand Shock workshop (Anthea Millar)
- Utilising Reviews Workshop (Jamie Rance)
Supervision Conference UK 2016
Last Saturday saw the 4th Supervision Conference UK, sponsored by the National Counselling Society, held in Bristol. We have previously been to Cambridge and York. With the title being All Inclusive: Developing Dialogue in a Diverse World, we were delighted to welcome Michael Carroll as keynote and Geraldine Holton, Judy Ryde, Helena Hargaden and Harbrinder Dhillon-Stevens to provide masterclasses. The title leapt out over a year ago, before many of the recent developments in the world, because the conference attracts diversity from various professions – counselling, psychotherapy, coaching, mentoring, nursing etc. The professional edges can sometimes challenge and excite us in our dialogue and we were noticing this in the macro world too.
To reflect this theme, we were thrilled to have excellent workshops in the afternoon. Daniel Mercieca explored developing inner dialogue; Aneet Kaur Sehmi and Sophie Pickering took us to a culture cafe; Karl Gregory (counsellor) and Lise Lewis (coach) blended coaching and counselling (couching!); Steve Page and Jim Holloway asked if we are speaking loud and clear to our professional organisations.
The plenary session brought out some controversial discussion points, a blending of ideas and a space to really reflect. There was a gentle feel to the conference in which many people fed back their experience of feeling safe.
Our keynote speaker, Michael Carroll provided us with lots to think about. Observing reflection and dialogue as a particular facilitative skill of supervision and bringing us to the point of looking at supervision for all, not just psychotherapists and counsellors. This was a great keynote from Michael which we understand is to be his last as he is retiring. It was indeed “pretty good for a last keynote.” And he managed to get a book launch in as well!
Taking the conference forward, it will now be every 18 months so the next date is 21st April 2018 and we are looking for venues around the Midlands.
A major outcome from this conference is a link with Geraldine Holton and the Association of Supervisors Ireland (http://saivision.ie/). The vision that Severn Talking Therapy are looking to progress now is that supervision could be for all helping professions and front-line services that would benefit from reflective practice and ultimately setting up an Association of Supervisors UK.
- Supervision Conference UK
- Collectivist Cultures and Intersubjective Systems Theory
- 2016 – Couching workshop (Karl Gregory / Lise Lewis)
- Developing Inner Dialogue (Daniel Mercieca)
- How to make the supervisor more inclusive in the supervisory process? (Helena Hargaden)
- Keynote Speech (Michael Carroll)
- Supervision framework couching handout
- Contracting – Supervision Process couching handout
- Some reasons why counsellors and coaches train in each other’s domain (Karl Gregory / Lise Lewis)
- Review of Masterclass by Geraldine Holton (Annie Higgs)
Supervision Conference UK 2015
A Spirit of Enquiry
Venue: The Royal York Hotel
Thank you to everyone who joined us at York for this year’s Supervision Conference UK. Your patience and grace with the last minute change of venue was very much appreciated and we co-created a very positive event.
Thanks, of course, to our keynote speaker Maria Gilbert who made an inspiring keynote speech. She shared both her experience and insights with regard to what is ‘super’ about supervision. You can find an outline on the website of the elements that she discussed. These include curiosity, reflection, playfulness and experimenting as components to support learning in the spirit of enquiry. She reminded us that supervision is multifaceted and underpinned by the relationship co-created by the supervisor and the supervisee.
Thanks also to the masterclass leaders, Michael, Steve and Karl, and the workshop leaders, Lise, Miriam, Joan, Alison and Sheila. Their combined efforts offered an interesting number of opportunities to reflect on our own supervision practices as counsellors, coaches, nurses and helping professionals. For more details regarding content please see the pdfs below.
The day concluded by how we enquire into the work we do and share it with each other as supervisors and supervisees across a range of professions.
We hope that you will join us on October 15th 2016 in Bristol to further explore these issue in our work for a diverse world.
- A new approach to group supervision based on action research (Alison Hodge)
- Seeking the Humanity in our Professions (Karl Gregory)
- What is ‘super’ about Supervision? (Maria Gilbert)
- Charged Moments – recognising and engaging with embodied parallel process (Michael Soth)
- Coaching Presence from the Quantum Perspective (Miriam Orriss)
- The Working Alliance from the Energetic Perspective Workshop (Miriam Orriss)
- Understanding the Energetic Principles (Miriam Orriss)
- Deepening use of the cyclical model (Steve Page)
- Mistakes in Supervision (Sheila McCarthy-Dodd)
Supervision Conference UK 2014
Venue: Murray Edwards College, Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 0DR
- An ethic of relationship and care in therapy and supervision (Dr Els van Ooijen)
- Principles and Qualities Cards: A simple tool to encourage ethical reflection within supervision (Jamie Rance)
- Personal Moral Qualities (Jamie Rance)
- Encouragment & Ethics, An Essential Partnership in Supervision (Anthea Millar)
- Ethics. What has love got to do with it? (Robin Shohet)
- Ethical Maturity and the Role of Empathy and Compassion in Supervision (Karl Gregory)
