Supervision is “the worker’s most important relationship” ( Morrison, 2001). For many practitioners however this assertion does not reflect the reality of their professional experience. Lack of knowledge about what supervision entails, lack of experience of ‘good’ supervision and lack of confidence within existing supervision relationships can mean that practitioners feel uninvolved, trapped, powerless or bored in supervision.
This chapter is addressed to practitioners who wish to make supervision a central professional relationship where they can share and learn from the delights, the dilemmas and discoveries of their practice. The chapter identifies seven steps which a practitioner can take which will assist him or her to negotiate a supervision relationship where they are active and central participants in a process where they will meet their own particular learning needs.