Why is supervision for coaches becoming increasingly mandated?
This article is a reprint of a Coaching Research in Practice (Oct 2016).
Misconceptions about the purpose, process and practice of coaching supervision are prevalent. As a result, many coaches who have yet to experience the benefits of supervision, mistakenly believe it is more about ‘quality control’ and ‘keeping coaches honest’ than about supporting them as coaches. Yet coaching supervision is now mandated by numerous professional coaching associations.
This issue of Coaching Research in Practice reviews a recent study into coaching supervision. The findings presented here not only explain why coaching supervision is being increasingly mandated by many professional coaching associations, but they also make you wonder why it’s not mandated by all!
COACHING RESEARCH:
In her recent study of “The Value of Coaching Supervision as a Development Process,” Alison Hodge (2016) points out that supervision is now “mandated for coaches seeking accreditation by virtually all the professional coaching associations in the UK (APECS, AC, EMCC, SGCP & WABC)” (p. 88). When reading her definition of coaching supervision, it’s easy to understand why:
- Coaching supervision is a co-created learning relationship that supports the supervisee in their development, both personally and professionally, and seeks to support them in providing best practice to their client. Through the process of reflecting on their own work in supervision, the supervisee can review and develop their practice and re-energise themselves. It offers a forum to attend to their emotional and professional wellbeing and growth. Through the relationship and dialogue in this alliance, coaches can receive feedback, broaden their perspectives, generate new ideas and maintain standards of effective practice. (p. 89)
From this definition, you can see that coaching supervision is mostly about supporting coaches. Indirectly, the process also supports the coachee and maintains coaching standards, but the primary goal is the support of the coach.
In fact, Hodge’s study, which examined the experience of six executive coaches and five coaching supervisors, who engaged in their own regular supervision sessions, highlighted the need for executive coaches to support themselves through supervision:
- The participants agreed that the practice of executive coaching is complex and demanding. They acknowledged that what occurs in the coaching space is unpredictable and challenging. They recognised that coaching may be emotionally charged as they understand and work with the coachee’s emotions to support the learning and change the coachee seeks to make that the coaching espouses to support. (p. 95)
In the light of the complexity of the coaching experience for coaches, they appreciated that supervision enabled them “to attend to their overall wellbeing and effectiveness … [and] … found that supervision provides a restorative space for offloading concerns of their personal and professional lives and appreciated and valued the reassurance, affirmation, feedback, challenge and encouragement that they received from their supervisor” (p. 95).
Participants in this study highlighted how isolated they can feel, especially when “messy” issues arise, and several participants pointed out that the coaching supervision process “enabled sense and clarity about what was happening with and between themselves and their clients … [and that] … this dialogue often proved more relevant and powerful than other forms of reflection such as journaling or personal note making as it enabled them to gain understanding, self-awareness and identify new ways to proceed with a client” (p. 95).
IN PRACTICE:
Despite the clear benefits of supervision in supporting coaches, many coaches still shy away from supervision for reasons such as “fear of exposure, fear of being shamed, delusions of grandeur, lack of curiosity, inability to find a supervisor, resistance to pay for the service” (p. 88). However, coaching supervision provides a “safe space for the coach to explore their practice, resolve dilemmas, re-connect with self and offload any doubts that can arise during coaching assignments” (p. 97).
Thus, the first recommendation for practice is to have an experience of coaching supervision, if you have not already done so. If you feel shy about jumping into a session, you could hear part of a session here. Observing a supervision session isn’t as good as experiencing one for yourself, but at least it should clarify any misconceptions you may have.
Once you have experienced supervision, as per the findings of this study, you should be able “to determine the appropriate level and frequency of supervision to meet [your] own needs. As indicated by the participants [of this study], professional executive coaches need to consider the volume of coaching and number of client assignments they are engaged in at any one time as well as other personal or professional demands that affect how they show up with their coachees. Together with their supervisors, they calibrate and monitor how they are taking care of themselves so they are able to engage effectively and consistently with their clients” (p. 98).
Finally, consider also that all participants in this study “sought a range of additional methods to support themselves” (p. 95). These included “action learning sets, peer support groups and coaching practice groups” (p. 98). “They [also] declared the importance of engaging in a wide range of other activities that addressed their overall physical, emotional and mental wellbeing. They identified that regular exercise, hobbies, rest and holidays were integral to their wellbeing and resilience. Some discussed their involvement in the arts, theatre and music to stimulate creative insights and new perspectives” (p. 98).
What methods do you use to support yourself as a coach? Share it on our discussion forum.
Reference:
Hodge, A. (2016). The value of coaching supervision as a development process: Contribution to continued professional and personal wellbeing for executive coaches. International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring, 14(2), 87-106. Retrieved October 10, 2016, from http://ijebcm.brookes.ac.uk/documents/vol14issue2-paper-06.pdf
Translating coaching research into coaching practice,
Kerryn Griffiths (PhD – The Process of Learning in Coaching)
Global ReciproCoach Coordinator
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