Why coaches need super-vision

Do you remember the times you’ve felt a bit wobbly in your job, in need of reassurance that you’re on the right lines, a steer from a trusted colleague who’s a few more years down the line, something to resource you to get through things that feel tricky or new?

There have certainly been times I’ve felt shaky and vulnerable. After qualifying as a coach in 2014, I remember (after the initial elation!) feelings of almost continuous self-scrutiny, a sense of wondering whether I was doing coaching right, whether I was good enough and whether I was truly serving my clients.

So I did what I always do: I read more, I went to more workshops, I talked to other coaches and it helped. But actually, when I look back now, I realise it was coaching supervision that helped me not only find my feet but to start to feel comfortable in my new coaching shoes.

And as those shoes got more comfy and my coaching practice matured and deepened, the role of supervision started to shift for me too, It became somewhere I could take more complex ethical dilemmas (like the time a coaching assignment commissioned by a former colleague led to a a crisis of conscience I hadn’t anticipated because, it turns out, I always saw the best in everyone). It’s also a space where I’ve found the courage I need to properly challenge my coachees, a community of practice in a role that can be quite lonely at times, and the creativity to help me feel energised by and connected to the coaching work.

I’ve worked with a few supervisors over the years, sometimes in groups, sometimes 1-1, and they’ve always provided me with a protected space where I could talk openly and honestly about the wider things that have touched my coaching practice: a recent bereavement, deeply held beliefs which had got in the way of seeing things as my coachee may have done, moments when my clients’ lived experience has been far outside my own. I now see coaching supervision as an anchor, a place of stability where I can resource myself and re-connect with my purpose, skills, values and experience, meaning in turn, I can be of good service to my clients.

All of this led me to qualify as a coaching supervisor in 2020. I already offered mentor coaching through the coach training programmes I run, which felt a bit like supervision at times, and I wanted to make sure I was practicing with integrity, depth and a high level of skill. There were times when I was thrown back to those early days of coaching, doubting myself and abilities as a supervisor. Over time, it became clear these were useful feelings – they helped me become re-sensitised to the coaching wobbles some of my clients were experiencing and were the catalyst for exploring more deeply my purpose and philosophy as a supervisor.

Some of my early struggles with supervising coaches was rooted in the word, ‘supervision’ itself, which had for me connotations of being policed, criticised or checked-up on. Not something I wanted to be guilt of in my practice!

I think of supervision now as super-vision, an expanded way of seeing. It’s a high-quality, confidential, non-judgemental conversation with someone who holds you with care, trusts you to develop your practice in a way that aligns with your values and the needs of your clients and helps you see what you cannot always see alone.

Coaching supervision tends to (at least) three things: your wellbeing and resilience as a practitioner, your ongoing growth and development, and the quality and ethics of your practice. Its benefits ripple outward to your clients, to the organisations that commission your work and to the wider systems you are all part of.

The supervision offer I have developed now feels aligned to my values, purpose and philosophy of coaching. I’m inspired by the natural world and often invite my supervisees to connect with their experience of being in nature as a way to explore ideas, insights and wider systems. It feels joyful and grounded to practice in this kind of space, and my clients says it takes them away from those feelings of criticism and over-scrutiny into something more supportive and holistic.

In an unregulated profession, super-vision matters. Anyone can use the title of coach, and you’ll see in some places (Instagram?) coaches practicing without qualification, accreditation or supervision.

What distinguishes coaches who take their practice seriously, who are genuinely committed to their clients’ wellbeing, to ethical practice and to doing no harm, is not just quality training in the first instance, but their ongoing commitment to reflection, growth and their own development and resourcefulness. Regular supervision is one of the clearest expressions of this commitment. It can help coaches recognise their ‘unknown, unknowns’ before clients are affected, stay aligned with their values, and practice with integrity and depth rather than coaching-by-numbers. Super-vision is how we ensure our coaching practice remains as safe as it can for us and those we work with, that we’re practicing within our competence and upholding the reputation of the coaching profession.

If you’re thinking about coaching super-vision and have never tried it before, a small group can be a wonderful place to begin (it’s where I started 12 years ago). There’s a connection and shared purpose that provides support and a sense of safety; you hear other coaches voice the very doubts you thought were only yours; you find courage in your practice as you learn from others’ reflections and from what you choose to share yourself; and there’s a universality and a collective ‘holding’ that enables you to really learn from yourself and from the group as a whole; and a togetherness which continues beyond the supervision itself.

This June, I’m looking forward to bringing together a small group of coaches to work in super-vision across a full year. We’ll have an informal chat first, to make sure it feels like the kind of space for you. You might be experienced in your practice or just starting out; working with coachees in organisations or individually; be coaching outdoors, online or in any kind of coaching environment in fact; be looking for something specific from supervision or want to use it as an opportunity to attend to what’s live for you in your practice right now.

We’ll meet four times, at the turning of the seasons: Summer Solstice, Autumn Equinox, Winter Solstice, Spring Equinox. We’ll be supported by the rhythms and wisdom of the natural world and come together to explore whatever is in (or perhaps just outside) your conscious coaching practice. You can find full dates and times here: www.clairembradshaw.co.uk/seasonal-group-supervision-for-coaches/

If quality, integrity and depth are important to you in your coaching practice, this could be a brilliant way to connect with coaches who carry a similar philosophy. Let’s have a chat and maybe you’ll join us!