Professional Supervision

What is supervision?

Professional Supervision is a relational, collaborative, and reflective process that facilitates the growth and development of the individual and their ethical and professional practice. The supervisory alliance is a safe, confidential, creative space for those in the helping professions to discuss and reflect on their work with a skilled and trained supervisor in order to do their work better.  It is a forum for reflection and accountability that maintains a focus on experiential learning.

As a starting point, a supervision session would normally be 60 minutes either in-person or on-line (eg. via Zoom).  Best practice would suggest 8-10 sessions per year to make the most of the supervisory experience.  At the first meeting, covenants are agreed upon, fees are discussed, and boundaries about how supervision will operate safely are put in place.

“Professional supervision is a vital part of maintaining health and wellbeing to be able to function successfully in your professional role. It helps to identify core values, to understand yourself better and to reflect on your responses to situations. Time is taken to consider things from a different perspective. Supervision helps people to thrive in their role, to discover what they love to do, how to make good choices, have good boundaries and practice holistic self-care. One of the great flow on effects of this is the health of our workplaces.” 

Susan Marcuccio, (2022), New Perspectives in Supervision. 

President, Australasian Association of Supervision (2023).

Pastoral supervision is not simply supervision for someone in a pastoral role context, but rather a uniquely Christian relationship where opportunities are available to explore and reflect on your work setting from a biblical, and more specifically a Christological standpoint, allowing for transformation and growth through the work of the Holy Spirit.

Emmaus Road Supervision is a relational ministry offering Christian Mentoring and Professional Pastoral Supervision to those in Christian leadership and service. The ministry of Emmaus Road is based on the New Testament story found in Luke 24:13-35, where two disciples were walking along the Road to Emmaus immediately after the resurrection of Jesus before his public appearances. The two disciples were met by Jesus and did not recognise him at first. 

Jesus skilfully led them through a transformative conversation that highlights many of the foundational underpinnings of healthy supervision and mentoring: sharing the journey, open dialogue, good questions, exploring stories, deepening self-awareness, reflective conversation, informed by Scripture, challenging our assumptions, and discovering new insights and understandings. 

Jesus models for us that sharing the journey along the road of life with him and others, can allow for robust experiential learning leading to renewed practice and transformed ministry.