Supervison

Reflective spaces are one of the most important aspects of working effectively with trauma.  In fact, unless we are offered a space to process the emotionality of the work, the work itself becomes unsustainable.  In order to cope with the powerful dynamics inherent in doing trauma work, human beings develop all kinds of unconscious defences.  Without a place to make sense of the powerful emotions that trauma work evokes, we are all vulnerable to stress, burn-out, de-sensitisation and vicarious trauma.

Individual Supervision

Individual supervision is an essential part of being an effective practitioner.  Regardless of our level of experience, we can all benefit from having another mind help us to think about and make sense of "what is the impact of doing this work on me?".  For many of us, our work involves offering people a sense of containment or "being held" while we help them to process the difficult emotions associated with complex trauma.  We in turn, need a space to decipher what we are "holding" for others, and how to create opportunities for growth and learning so that they can feel empowered, and what we are "holding" for ourselves.  Simply put, "What is their stuff and what is my stuff?  And how do I give back (in a therapeutic way) what is not mine to hold, so they can grow?".  This applies whether you are working directly with service users, or whether you are a supervisor or leader managing a team.  Supervision from a psychodynamic framework attends to the unconscious aspects that are playing out in our work whether we are aware of them or not.

group supervision

Group supervision is a powerful tool to help create the most emotionally intelligent, insightful and cohesive team possible.  It may not always be practical to provide external individual supervision across an organisation, but group supervision is a time and cost-effective alternative.  

Group reflective practice using a psychodynamic framework, is a vehicle for uncovering what is happening within a team underneath the surface.  This involves asking people to come together as a group and reflect on the question "what is the impact of doing this work on me/us?".  It is a way of attending to the powerful dynamics that trauma work elicits in individuals, and creates opportunities for people to share their experiences, thereby reducing the risk of vicarious trauma.  It is also an important tool to help buffer systems and organisations against the impact of vicarious trauma at a systemic level.