You Don’t Have to Carry It All Alone: The Power of Clinical Supervision

“What is clinical supervision?” This is something I am often asked and I hope this short blog post helps to bring some clarity. 

In counselling or therapeutic work, supervision is a space where a therapist or counsellor meets regularly with a trained supervisor. Often this is monthly, and it’s more than just a professional requirement, it’s a safe, confidential space where counsellors can bring their client work, talk about what’s going on for them, and reflect on the impact of their work.

For those of us working within the framework of an Ethical Body, supervision is often required. This is not because we are not qualified, but because it forms the foundation of safe, ethical practice. The work we do in helping professions can be emotionally demanding. Whether you are a counsellor, social worker, pastoral team member, safeguarding lead, or working in a humanitarian setting, you’re likely someone others turn to with their most painful stories, personal struggles, and moments of crisis. It’s a profound honour to be trusted in this way but carrying that emotional weight, day after day, can deeply affect us if we don’t have the right support in place for our own wellbeing. Over time, that weight can build up. And when we don’t have a safe space to offload and process what we’re carrying, it often starts to show up in our bodies.

I know from personal experience how stress can quietly build, showing up as fatigue, sleepless nights, headaches, and other physical symptoms. Left unchecked, this can easily lead to burnout.

Supervision gives us a place to process those things on a regular basis before it all becomes too overwhelming. To talk honestly and openly in a confidential space about what is coming up in our work. It helps us not carry things alone. It’s also a space to reflect on the dynamics of the therapeutic relationship, explore blind spots, and check-in on how we are really doing as practitioners and as people.

Counselling and other caring roles can feel very lonely at times. Often, we can’t talk about our work with others due to confidentiality. Supervision offers a space to bring that material in an anonymous and ethical way so that we don’t have to carry it all alone and internally.

I was asked yesterday what the difference was between Coaching and Supervision. Please know that both are valuable and that I am not here to say one is better than the other. However, they do serve different purposes. Supervision is essential in therapeutic and helping roles because of the emotional and ethical complexity of the work we do.

• I believe that Coaching is more performance or goal-focused. It’s about action steps, outcomes, and often personal or professional development in a structured way.

• Clinical Supervision, however, is about reflection, process, and emotional and ethical awareness in the situations we find ourselves in. It’s often a slower, deeper space where we can explore how we work and how our work impacts us, what some ethical dilemmas might be and also how we are holding that therapeutic space for the people we work with. 

While supervision can feel supportive and therapeutic at times, it’s not the same as personal therapy as the focus remains on your professional role and client work.

If this is something you would like to explore further or if you are in a leadership role within a school, NGO, or care organisation looking to support your team, please reach out. Arranging clinical supervision for yourself or your team supports emotional wellbeing, helps prevent burnout, and encourages ethical, reflective practice. I would love to explore how supervision could support you or your staff.