Cultivating curiosity: trauma, reflection and surprise in the supervisory space.  An exploratory workshop for supervisors of practice 

Reflective practice is widely valued for its function in promoting self-awareness, emotional regulation, critical thinking, and continuous learning. Many organisations recognise the impact of trauma on counselling staff and, as a way of supporting sustainable practice, provide reflective practice for counsellors working with refugee survivors of trauma. Research from the field of counselling has shown that those in supervisory roles who support frontline staff are not immune to the impact of the work: common challenges include navigating burnout, reactive or rigid thinking, misuse or underuse of power and influence and loss of enthusiasm. If they are to retain their effectiveness, facilitators and supervisors must understand their own unique challenges and find creative and sustaining ways of responding to the dynamics of the work with staff and organisations.

METHODOLOGY:

The 3 hour interactive workshop aims to help participants identify what is uniquely challenging for them in their practice, to learn from the experience of peers and to explore ways of reenergising their work through fresh thinking and bringing practice into alignment with values. The workshop will use individual and group reflection, small and large group activities and discussion, and an arts-based activity to assist creative thinking and openness to the surprising possibilities inherent in the work.

OUTCOMES:

Participants will explore practice issues such as balancing the provision of support to staff while keeping the work open to learning and transformation; embracing the capacity and responsibility to influence; fostering the capacity to welcome the unknown; adjusting one’s own style of work to meet the needs of the work and understanding the limits of the role.

SIGNIFICANCE:

Through sharing and exploration of the role of supervision/reflective practice in the refugee trauma recovery field, the workshop provides an innovative space to build practice-based evidence and cultivate a culture of sustained curiosity.

Workshop run time: 3 hours