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Professional Supervision — Melbourne & Online

Helping work is demanding in ways that most people outside the profession don't fully appreciate. You carry complexity, ambiguity, and emotional weight across every working day. Over time, without proper support, even experienced practitioners lose perspective — absorbing client distress, drifting from ethical clarity, or burning out quietly while maintaining the appearance of competence.


Professional supervision exists to prevent that drift.


It is one of the most important professional commitments a helping practitioner can make — not just because it's required by most registration bodies, but because good supervision actively makes you a better, safer, and more sustainable practitioner.



What Is Professional Supervision?

Supervision is a regular, structured professional relationship between a practitioner and an accredited supervisor. It is confidential, professionally focused, and distinct from therapy, performance management, or line management.


In supervision, you bring your practice — the cases that challenge you, the ethical questions you're sitting with, the patterns you're noticing, the parts of the work that are weighing on you — and we examine them together. The supervisor's role is to help you see more clearly: your client, yourself in relation to the client, and the broader systemic and ethical context of the work.


Good supervision is simultaneously supportive and rigorous. It holds you accountable to your professional responsibilities while also caring genuinely about your wellbeing.



Who Supervision Is For

Supervision is relevant across the full spectrum of helping professions, including:


  • Counsellors -  newly qualified and experienced practitioners

  • Psychotherapists

  • Social workers

  • Mental health nurses

  • Occupational therapists

  • Chaplains and spiritual carers

  • Employee Assistance Program (EAP) practitioners

  • Community workers and case managers

  • Youth workers

  • School counsellors and student wellbeing practitioners


Whether you're in private practice, an agency setting, a hospital, or a school — if you're doing emotionally demanding work with people, supervision matters.


What We Work On

 You bring what's alive in your practice. That might include:


  • Complex or high-risk client presentations - risk assessment, safety planning, clinical decision-making

  • Ethical and professional dilemmas -  boundary questions, dual relationships, confidentiality

  • Countertransference and parallel process - what your reactions to clients are telling you

  • Burnout, compassion fatigue, and secondary trauma - naming and addressing the cost of the work

  • Professional identity and development - who you are as a practitioner and who you want to become

  • Case conceptualisation - understanding clients more deeply and planning more effectively

  • Cultural considerations - working across difference with awareness and humility

  • Conflict and communication in workplace contexts - team dynamics, organisational stress


There is no presentation too small or too large to bring to supervision. The discipline is in bringing your practice consistently, not only when things go wrong.
















My Approach to Supervision

I am a PACFA Certified Supervisor with 18+ years of clinical experience across individual counselling, group work, workplace wellbeing, and crisis response. I hold a Master of Social Science (Counselling) and have been recognised with the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for my professional contribution to the field.


My supervision is grounded in the Seven Eyed Model - a reflective framework that examines the supervisory relationship through multiple lenses: the client system, the practitioner's interventions, the relationship between client and practitioner, the practitioner's internal process, the supervisory relationship itself, the supervisor's own process, and the broader organisational and contextual factors at play.


This model produces supervision that is genuinely reflective — not just problem-solving, but practice-deepening.


My style is warm, direct, and professionally rigorous. I will listen carefully, offer honest observations, and ask questions that open new thinking. I won't simply validate. I'll challenge where challenge serves the work — and hold that alongside genuine care for your professional wellbeing.


Supervision Agreement

All supervision engagements begin with a clear, written supervision agreement that defines:


  • The purpose and goals of supervision

  • Frequency and format of sessions

  • Confidentiality and its limits

  • How we'll review and assess progress

  • Each party's professional responsibilities


This agreement creates a professional container for the work and ensures clarity from the outset.



Format and Availability

Individual supervision - one-to-one sessions, 60 minutes, tailored to your practice and professional context.


Group supervision - small groups of 3–5 practitioners, 90 minutes, enabling peer reflection alongside supervisory input. Group supervision is particularly effective for teams working in shared contexts (e.g., EAP, community agencies, schools).


**In person** — Keilor, Melbourne  

**Online** — via telehealth, available across Australia


Frequency is typically fortnightly or monthly, though this is determined based on your professional context and registration requirements.



Supervision for Specific Contexts

Supervision for Registered Counsellors (PACFA / ACA)

PACFA requires registered members to undertake regular supervision as a condition of registration. I am a PACFA Certified Supervisor, meaning supervision with me meets this requirement. I provide documentation of supervision hours on request.


Supervision for Newly Qualified Practitioners

The transition from training to independent practice involves a significant shift in professional identity and responsibility. Supervision during this period is particularly valuable — not just for managing complex presentations, but for developing the practitioner's own voice, confidence, and clinical judgement.


Supervision for Experienced Practitioners

Even experienced practitioners benefit enormously from sustained, quality supervision. Senior practitioners often carry the most complex cases, the heaviest ethical weight, and the least formal support. If you've been in practice a long time without regular supervision, this is the right time to address that.


Is This the Right Fit?

Supervision with me may suit you if:

  • You want supervision that is reflective, not just administrative

  • You're willing to bring your practice honestly — including the parts that feel uncertain or uncomfortable

  • You want a supervisor who is both supportive and willing to be direct

  • You value clinical rigour alongside genuine human engagement

This may not be the right fit if you're primarily looking for line management or organisational oversight. Supervision here is professionally focused, not managerial.



Take the Next Step

A free 15-minute consultation is available to explore whether supervision with me is the right fit for your practice and professional context.


Book a Free Consultation or Send me an Enquiry



Frequently Asked Questions

How often do I need supervision?

PACFA recommends a minimum of one hour of supervision per month for registered practitioners. Newly qualified counsellors typically benefit from more frequent supervision — fortnightly — particularly in the first two years of practice. The right frequency for you depends on your caseload, experience level, and professional context.


Can supervision be done online?  

Yes. Online supervision is effective and widely used across the profession. It also removes geographic barriers, allowing practitioners in regional and rural areas to access quality supervision without travelling.


Do you provide documentation for PACFA registration? 

Yes. I provide a record of supervision hours attended, suitable for inclusion in your PACFA CPD and registration records.


What's the difference between supervision and personal therapy?

Supervision is professionally focused — the primary subject is your practice and your clients. Personal material is relevant only when it directly intersects with your clinical work. If personal issues arise that need more sustained attention, I may suggest you also engage in personal therapy, as many professional registration bodies recommend.


Can my workplace fund supervision? 

Many employers in the health, education, and community sectors will fund professional supervision. It's worth raising with your employer, framing it as a professional development and risk management investment. I can provide invoices appropriate for workplace reimbursement.


What is the Seven Eyed Model?

The Seven Eyed Model is a reflective supervision framework developed by Peter Hawkins and Robin Shohet. It provides a structured way of examining a practitioner's clinical work through seven different lenses, ensuring supervision goes beyond surface problem-solving to deeper professional reflection.

A model of supervision that looks at the client and supervisee relationship through various lenses to depen reflection on practice
This page offers information about Professional Supervision, Benefits, how to use supervision, reflective practice, our approach and the supervision agreement.
Help, support, advice and guidance as some of the things that supervision offers shared learning and a safe space to explore ideas, concerns and stuckness.

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