Supervision Matters: How to Make the Most of Your Supervision Sessions

Whether you are an experienced psychologist or just beginning your journey in the field of therapy, supervision is not merely a requirement; it serves as your supportive hand and back.

Supervision matters. It is not just a routine check-up for the counsellors, it is a safe space for the therapist where they can reflect, share their issues, which helps them grow and refine themselves. So, now the question comes, how to make the most of your supervision sessions? Here’s a simple guide to turn your routine check-ups into extraordinary experiences.

Ask for what you need: Your clients deserve it, and so do you.

Consider supervision as a collaborative space rather than a formal Q&A. Bring as many questions as possible about your case, reflections, and plans to discuss with your supervisors. Discuss any ethical, legal or cultural dilemma that you are facing. Make the most of this time and space. 

For all those who think, “Our clients are responding well to us and maybe we don’t need supervision.” You are wrong. Because sometimes when we as therapists feel that our sessions are going on smoothly, the client is opening up and we have a good rapport, we assume everything is perfect. 

But here’s the catch: Smooth doesn’t always mean everything’s right. 

A client who is opening up might be doing so because maybe they never found anyone who heard them, or because of unconscious dynamics like people-pleasing, fear of abandonment, or transference that hasn’t been explored yet. We might miss out on these blind spots in therapy and think everything is going ‘smoothly.’ 

Supervision helps us to uncover and work on these blind spots. It’s the mirror that reflects not just your client, but you in the room with your client.

Real Vs Perfect: Why being authentic matters in supervision.

You don’t have to impress your supervisor; rather, you need to be the real you in supervision. Supervision is a space where you admit your uncertainties. Remember- no one expects you to have all the answers, not even your clients. 

Be aware of how you are feeling and accept all the emotions that you are feeling. If you are stuck somewhere or if you feel something could have been done differently in the session, discuss it with your supervisor. 

Just because you make a mistake doesn’t mean you are a mistake. Georgette Mosbacher

Learn, Unlearn and Repeat: Leave the room with insights.

Supervision helps you learn something, be it about yourself, your client, or therapy as a process in general. You might go in with many doubts, feelings of stuckness and even failure and come out with a fresh perspective on a client’s resistance or discover a new intervention that fits just right. 

Supervision also invites you to unlearn your old habits, patterns, biases or maybe your process. 

Sometimes the hardest part of becoming a better therapist is letting go of the stories you tell yourself:

“I should have all the answers.”“ can’t let my supervisor see I’m struggling.”“Being emotional makes me look weak.”

Yes, unlearning something that you have always known can be really difficult and uncomfortable, but isn’t that what we expect from our clients too? 

And then? Repeat!

You, as a therapist, need to keep evolving. What seems right for one client might not fit with another client. Supervision helps you stay curious, grounded, and open to change. 

So don’t just show up, leave the room with something.

An insight. A question. A shift in perspective.

Because that’s where good therapy starts, not just in your sessions, but in the work you do on yourself.