What is Coaching Supervision?
Supervision can be described as “The process by which a coach with the help of a supervisor, who is not working directly with the client, can attend to understanding better both the client system and themselves as part of the client-coach system and transform their work.” Hawkins and Smith (2006).
"Supervision has its roots in the helping profession. Think of it as two words – super and vision – the process of helping you to step back, metaphorically, from your work so that you can take a meta-perspective, or broader view, of your (internal) coaching practise." Julie Hay.
The EMCC (European Mentoring and Coaching Centre) says that Supervision is a safe space for reflective dialogue with a practicing supervisor, supporting the supervisee’s practice, development and well-being. Supervision is a form of professional support for the practitioner, and occurs separately from the interaction with the client. It is primarily a dialogue relating to their practice, an opportunity to reflect on and make sense of actual client encounters. The word supervision has a different meaning when used in our context compared with in common, everyday speech. It does not refer to the act of managing or overseeing someone’s work, and the supervisor is not present when the supervisee is working with their client.
How is supervision different from coaching and coach mentoring?
While coaching focuses on developing the competencies a client needs to achieve their professional goals, and while coach mentoring focuses on supporting coaches to build the competencies necessary to achieve a certain credential as a professional, supervision is a more comprehensive approach. Supervision focuses directly on the self awareness of the coach, their capacity to be present and their personal development and also their ability to manage relational dynamics or sensitive ethical issues. It's an opportunity to pause with an equal partner, having reflective dialogue to make meaning of events and past experiences in service of the coachee, of the organisation or wider system.
The EMCC say the purpose of supervision is:
- To ensure the supervisee maintains appropriate professional standards
- To facilitate the development of the supervisee’s professional practice
- To provide support for the supervisee’s well-being
Furthermore the EMCC state that Supervision is not limited to reflection on specific client cases. Amongst other things, it can be a forum in which the supervisee:
- Discusses ethical dilemmas
- Reflects on personal strengths and development areas within their range of professional competences
- Supports the supervisee to maintain well-being and psychological health
- Addresses more general themes in relation ot he development of their competence, capacity and professional identity
- Maintains a sense of perspective, viewing their practice as if ‘from the balcony’
- Explores the direction in which they wish to develop their role and professional practice
- Develop skills as a reflective practitioner
Why have Supervision?
Coaching supervision is incredibly important for all coaches whatever stage of their development, to ensure they can always provide their coachees with the best service. If you consider yourself an ethical credible practitioner, self-development should be an integral part of your continuing professional development and group supervision provides the ideal space to do this.
ICF and EMCC recommend coaching supervision for professional coach practitioners as part of their portfolio of CPD activities.
International Coaching Psychology Review, (Volume 12, No. 1, March 2017) identified the following outcomes as benefits of supervision for coaches:
- Increased self-awareness
- Greater confidence
- Increased objectivity
- Heightened sense of belonging
- Reduced feelings of isolation
- Increased resourcefulness
About this Programme
The aim of this programme is to provide coaches with a space of reflective practice to develop in depth emotional intelligence, presence and insights as a coach.
This programme is therefore open to:
- Coaches and team coaches that operate as consultants for organizations and individuals
- Coaches and team coaches as part of an internal pool of coaches in an organization
- Leaders and managers, who integrate coaching and team coaching as a regular approach to engage and develop their teams.
CPD Credentials
ICF Credential holders may submit up to 10 hours of Coaching Supervision (delivering or receiving) as Core Competency Continuing Coach Education (CCE) units toward their credential renewal.
EMCC Credential applicants or holders may submit our Certificate to demonstrate their commitment to ongoing reflective practice.
Events Calendar
What our participants say...
"I hadn’t been formally supervised as a coach before my work with Frouke, and she opened my eyes to a whole new way of engaging with my coaching and myself as a coach. She nurtured a highly exploratory and reflective multi-level dialogue, which she complemented by incorporating the elements of coaching that we were discussing into the session so that I could experience them from the client side. This providing a helpful additional point of reference for our work. My supervisions with Frouke have had a definite positive impact on my coaching."
Supervision Participant, Professional Coach, UK
Find out more
View our events
See our latest events, check out the dates and apply for your programme.
Download the brochure
Learn the full details of all our coach training programmes and compare your options.
Talk to us
Arrange a call with your country of choice and discover which programme is right for you.
Send enquiry
Fill in our online enquiry form and we'll be in touch as soon as possible.