What is supervision and why does it matter?
What is supervision?
Supervision is a safe space which enables a coach, mentor, trainer or supervisor to receive professional support and guidance in an open, reflective environment.
The aim of supervision is to develop the competence and capabilities, and to provide opportunities to process the experiences we have with our clients and learners.
It largely focuses on, but is not limited to: supporting, resourcing, restoring and benchmarking.
The more you coach, mentor, supervise and deliver training, the more supervision you will need.
What broad areas might be covered in supervision?
The list is not exhaustive, and supervision may focus around areas of the coach’s:
- Emotional wellbeing.
- Skills, knowledge and ability.
- Professional standards, ethical behaviours and ethical issues.
- Understanding of the patterns and themes developing.
- Progress in letting go of mentoring habits.
- Abilities in working systemically, addressing conflicting needs of stakeholders.
- ‘Difficult’ sessions or clients.
- Robust contracting.
- Parallel processes.
- Reflective practice and objective perspectives.
- Feelings around imposter syndrome and stepping into authority.
- Business development.
- Facilitation and co-facilitation skills.
How does EMCC define supervision and its importance?
EMCC define supervision as, “the interaction that occurs when a mentor or coach brings their coaching or mentoring work experiences to a supervisor to be supported and to engage in reflective dialogue and collaborative learning for the development and benefit of the mentor or coach, their clients and their organisations.”
EMCC take supervision very seriously as part of continued professional development and endorses a ratio of 1:35, one supervision for every thirty five coaching sessions delivered. More information about the EMCC supervision competencies and guidelines can be found here.
What does ICF say about supervision?
International Coaching Federation (ICF) states that, “Coaching supervision is a dynamic and reflective process of collaboration, guidance and support through which coaches develop their personal, professional, and ethical capacity and maturity.”
Recognising the importance of supervision in professional, reflective practice, ICF released their supervision competency framework and guidelines in October 2024 which can be downloaded here.
Why does supervision matter?
Supervision is an essential component of continuing professional development. It ensures an investment in you – professionally and personally – and provides an invaluable opportunity to actively reflect and evaluate practice while seeking guidance and expertise when required.
Cindy Schmelzenbach, MCC, MA, Life and Leadership Coach, USA
If you are curious to learn more about supervision and how it works, why not register on the Jigsaw Learning Hub course ‘An Introduction to Supervsion’ and gain 5 ICF CCE.
As a holder of an European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC) Global Supervision Individual Award (ESIA) jigsaw.coach, Caroline Beckett, is a credentialed, certified SUPERvisor working one-to-one and with groups of clients up to mastery level. Visit the jigsaw.coach shop for transparency around pricing for one-to-one and group supervision.