A Relational Guide for Therapists
Clinical supervision is a core part of ethical and effective therapeutic practice yet it’s often misunderstood.
At its heart, clinical supervision is not about being told what to do. It is not about hierarchy, criticism, or oversight. Instead, good clinical supervision provides a collaborative, reflective, and supportive space where therapists can think deeply about their work, themselves, and the impact of the therapy they offer.
Clinical supervision exists to support safe, ethical, and sustainable practice. It allows therapists to explore clinical material, relational dynamics, ethical questions, and the emotional impact of the work all within a confidential and professionally grounded relationship.
In many ways, supervision is the space behind the therapy the thinking room that helps therapy remain alive, ethical, and effective.
What Is Clinical Supervision Used For?
Therapists use clinical supervision in different ways, depending on their experience, training, and work context.
Supervision may involve:
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Reflecting on client work and therapeutic relationships
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Exploring ethical dilemmas and professional responsibilities
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Understanding countertransference, parallel process, and relational dynamics
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Supporting therapist wellbeing and preventing burnout
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Integrating theory, modality, and clinical intuition
For trainee and newly qualified therapists, supervision often provides containment, reassurance, and guidance. For experienced therapists, it becomes a space for integration, depth, and expansion.
At its best, therapy supervision supports not only what you do, but how you are as a therapist.
My Experience of Clinical Supervision
Over more than ten years of clinical practice, I can honestly say that I have been incredibly fortunate in the supervision I’ve received.
I have worked with supervisors who were highly experienced, ethically grounded, relational, and willing to both support and gently challenge me. They didn’t just help me manage cases they helped shape my professional identity.
Through clinical supervision, I have been supported to:
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Develop a grounded and confident sense of who I am as a therapist
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Strengthen my clinical judgement and reflective capacity
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Expand into specialist areas including bereavement counselling, EMDR, and trauma-focused psychotherapy
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Think multidimensionally, integrating multiple therapeutic models
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Explore less commonly discussed approaches, such as energy psychology, alongside more established modalities
Supervision gave me something invaluable: permission to grow, question, and evolve without needing to be perfect.
From Therapist to Clinical Supervisor
I am now fully trained and offering clinical supervision to both:
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Trainee and newly qualified therapists
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Experienced practitioners seeking reflective, relational supervision
This feels like a natural progression in my professional journey. Supervision is one of the most meaningful ways I can give back to a profession that has supported me so deeply.
By supporting therapists to work ethically, sustainably, and confidently, the impact extends far beyond the supervision room. One supported therapist goes on to support many clients. For me, this directly connects to my wider mission of supporting over 100,000 people to become healthier, more grounded versions of themselves during my time on this planet.
Clinical supervision is one of the quiet but powerful ways that legacy is built.
How to Choose the Right Clinical Supervisor
If you’re looking for a clinical supervisor, here are some key things I believe matter:
1. A Collaborative Supervisory Relationship
Supervision should feel co-created, not hierarchical. You should feel able to think aloud, ask questions, and be honest without fear of judgement.
2. Strong Training and Ethical Alignment
Your supervisor should be well-trained, ethically grounded (for example, aligned with BACP supervision standards), and committed to ongoing professional development.
3. A Relational and Trauma-Informed Lens
Therapy happens in relationship — and so does supervision. A relational supervisor helps you notice what’s happening beneath the surface, including emotional and nervous-system responses.
4. Supervision That Sees the Whole Therapist
Good supervision attends not only to clinical work, but also to:
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You as a person
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Your professional identity and development
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Your wellbeing and sustainability
5. Awareness of the Business and Context of Therapy
Whether you’re in private practice or working within an organisation, supervision should also consider:
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Boundaries, workload, and capacity
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Financial sustainability
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Ethical tensions within systems and organisations
These factors directly impact clinical work and cannot be separated from it.
The Three Pillars of My Supervisory Approach
At the core of my clinical supervision practice is a belief in the integration of three essential pillars:
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The Therapist who you are, how you are, and how you care for yourself
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The Clinical Work ethical, reflective, and effective practice
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The Business or Organisation the context you are working within or building
When these three areas are aligned, therapy becomes not only effective but sustainable, meaningful, and deeply human.
If you are considering clinical supervision whether you are just beginning your journey or are many years into practice it can be one of the most supportive and transformative professional relationships you will ever have.
And when it’s done well, clinical supervision doesn’t just shape your work.
It shapes you.
I currently have three clinical supervision spaces available from January 2026, offering a reflective, relational, and ethically grounded space for both emerging and experienced therapists.
Love & Light, Jon
