Transactional Analysis - For TA psychotherapy and TA coaching Supervision ...

Both Uta and Dave are very experienced supervisors... please contact us for details of your requirements: dave&uta@ta-counselling.org.uk

In the supervision workshops I hand out these notes:

WHAT IS SUPERVISION? 

• HESS (1990): A quintessential interpersonal interaction with the general goal that one person, the supervisor, meets with another, the supervisee, in order to make the latter more effective in helping people.

• DAVE S: The promotion of competence and excellence in professional practice.

• ERSKINE (Oct. 1992. TAJ Vol. 12 no 4): Describes the goals of supervision as: To develop competent, ethical, psychotherapists (any professional) who have the capacity for self supervision and a commitment to find the most effective means of promoting the psychological and physical health of their clients.

• British Association of Counselling (1987): The primary purpose of supervision is to protect the best interests of the client. (This is similar in TA to Berne's insistence on the implementation of the ancient first rule of therapy / medicine that no harm should be done).

• Dave S: The task of supervision is:

  • To provide the supervisee with a safe, protective relationship in which to be creative.

  • To develop knowledge, understanding and skills.

  • To provide positive strokes, stimulation and safety for the supervisee.

  • To Promote excellence within an ethical and safe practice.

  • To provide developmental support to the supervisee.

  • To provide an opportunity for evaluation of the practice.

  • To provide monitoring of professional practice. 

PROCTOR (Quoted in Hawkins and Shohut l989): Describes three roles:

• Formative: is educational, developing skill, and understanding.

• Restorative: is the provision of a safe place for the professional to be restored, through expression of and a meeting of their needs. (Avoiding Burnout).

• Normative: The structural component, monitoring and evaluating work and normalising best practice.

with 3 types of supervision:

• Training Supervision: Where the supervisor has responsibility as the supervisee's trainer.

• Managerial supervision: Supervisor has a management role.

• Constancy supervision: The Supervisor is an outside consultant.

Philosophy of Supervision:

The basic TA philosophy provides an effective, tried and tested working philosophy on which to base a philosophy of supervision. The basic presuppositions are:

• OK - OK relationship: People have intrinsic dignity and worth and value in themselves and all are equal.

• People are autonomous and are response - able in their lives, and are therefore responsible and choice-full in and for their own growth, development and learning.

• People are their own best resources everyone can think, change and grow.

Principles of Supervision: Based on the philosophy are the following principles of supervision:

• Communication is open.

• Promotion of autonomy is a goal.

• Flexibility of approach is required.

• All work is contractually based.

Therefore: The supervisors role is to facilitate autonomy, growth and protection for the supervisee and the client.  

There is also a wider responsibility to the wider community, the profession and the public. 

Bands of Supervision:

These bands of supervision refer to the main areas covered within supervision. 

The bands are based on the advanced training for qualification of supervisors within TA, and the European Association of TA’s examination of supervisors.

• Assessment and Treatment Planning

• Strategies and interventions

• Theory

• Ethics

• Parallel Process

• Developmental

• Key Issues

• Contracting

Models of supervision

Developmental models of supervision. The medieval developmental model is the most frequently referred to developmental model.

• Stage 1 The Supervisee is an Apprentice

During this first stage the emphasis is upon skills development and understanding theory and it's application. Building up the confidence and self-belief of the therapist.

• Stage 2 The supervisee is a journeyman craftsman.

How can I help this particular client. The supervisee is starting to make his / her work a reflection of themselves. Therapy issues often need to be dealt with during this phase.

• Stage 3 The supervisee is an independent Craftsman.

A qualified practitioner beginning to see the therapy in it' s wider context and to deal with the relationship process.

• Stage 4  The supervisee is a master craftsman.

The supervisee is an experienced practitioner with the ability to self evaluate in the wider context. 

Six stages of development in the learning process:  

In this model the first three areas are seen as beginning stages, with the second three stages as being advanced. This model is based on an article by Bruce Loria 1983 TAJ, in which he quotes early educational works.

Basic:

1.  Knowledge of theory.

2.  Understanding of theory.

3.  Application of theoretical concepts.

Advanced:

 4.  Analysis of the component parts of the theory and application relevant for each client.

 5.  Synthesis: the bringing together in a unique way the therapists own application and understanding of theoretical concepts.

 6.  Evaluation, self-evaluation in the wider context.

Process model of Supervision: Developed by Hawkins and Shohet, in their excellent book, Supervision in the helping Professions.

 A) There and then process and content. Issues in the actual therapy session.

1)  Reflection on the situation of the client - the content of the therapy session. 

2)  Exploration of the strategies used by the therapist in the session. 

3)  Exploration of the relationship process between the client and the supervisee in the session.

B)  Here and now process and content. How the therapy process is reflected in the here and now supervision process.

4)  Therapists counter transference.

5)  Supervisors counter transference

6)  Parallel process, how the supervision process reflects the therapeutic process.

C)  The context  - the systemic process – what systems is the supervision taking place within? – What is the impact on the supervision of the systemic influences?

 Parallel Process: Doeherman 1976 did research into this phenomenon and discovered to her surprise that it always occurred! She also discovered that the paralleling went in both directions!  Remember therefore to always ask where did the process start!

INTERPERSONAL PROCESS RECALL (IPR) A tape of the session is played back with exploratory questions regarding the work going on the tape. A very simple and basic concept! Usually the supervisee takes charge of the process stopping the tape as and when they wish. 

Gordon Law's model    A fun quick group supervision model:

• The story / problem is briefly related to the group by the supervisee.

• Each member of the group asks the supervisee a question, which remains unanswered.

• Each person in the group then formulates a hypothesis regarding the questioner's reason for asking the question. This hypothesis is then related to the supervisee, without comment by them.

• The supervisee then goes through the questions and hypothesis one by one, saying which is most useful / least useful and why.

Fan and Cascade Supervision 

Fan is where all the group members are assigned specific tasks to supervise such as treatment planning / games etc. 

Cascade supervision, simply is where the person supervising is then supervised, this is often a very enlightening experience for the original supervisee!  

In group supervision avoid going back into the supervision once it has finished however a good practice is also to allow a period of group process following a specific supervision. 

EVALUATION OF SUPERVISION

 Based on TA examination as a supervising Transactional Analyst.

1. Philosophy and structure Is there a clear understanding of the philosophy of supervision and the principles that follow. Are these then reflected in the settings in which the supervisor is working.

2. Contract fulfilled Is there a clear bilateral contract formed and completed?

3. Key Issue addressed What is the key issue in the supervision, this is usually expressed in a simple and quickly understood form. (e.g. who is in charge here?) The key issue will be present at each level of the work. The client / therapist / supervisor / supervisor process.

4. Reduction of harm The aim is to reduce harm at every level of the process, with regard to the question: If any one is going to be harmed by this process who is it? The answer may be the therapist / supervisor / wider professional community / and the client or the clients outside contacts such as family / friends / etc.

5. Developmental direction of supervisee addressed Which areas does the supervisee need to address in order to develop and how are they going to be addressed?

6. Supervisor models the process The supervisor sees the parallel process and within the supervision resolves it. (This does not need to be overt, however this may help in conscious understanding, and especially helps the TA exam board to know what you are up to!

7. Equal relationship Maintains an OK-OK relationship, this means staying ok as well as inviting the other into their own ok position.

8. Ethical issues addressed. The key ethical issues are (Page & Woskett supervising the counsellor 1994):

• Fidelity… being faithful to promises made.

• Justice… ensuring benefits are distributed fairly.

• Beneficence - working for the benefit of others.

• Non-maleficence - do no harm to others.

• Autonomy - working for maximum choice of each person.

• Reparation - working for the recompense of any wrongful act.

Notes by Dave Spenceley Teaching and Supervising Transactional Analyst at the Yorkshire Training Centre

www.ta-psychotherapy.co.uk  //  dave@ta-psychotherapy.co.uk 

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