Coaching Supervision

“Supervision is an ongoing process…continuing throughout the professional life of a coach. The purpose of coaching supervision … is to ensure that the best interest of the coachee and the client are protected and to provide educative and restorative support to the coach”.

Myles Downey

What is coaching supervision?

Coaching supervision is a formal arrangement for coaches to discuss their work regularly with someone who is experienced in coaching, supervision, tools and techniques. It has sometimes been called ‘Super Vision’ as a way of demonstrating that it is not restrictive or prescriptive but rather a process for increasing creativity.

Encouragement and facilitation of the ongoing self-development, continued professional development and learning of the coach. Confidential, non-judgemental space for the coach to explore what is going on in their coaching, to discuss what issues come up for them and to have meaningful conversations about these issues.

By its very nature, coaching makes considerable demands upon coaches who may become over-involved, ignore some important point or have undermining doubts about their own abilities. It is difficult, if not sometimes impossible, to be objective about one’s coaching.

What are the benefits?

Protection for the executive, the coach and, if applicable, the organisation purchasing coaching services. Personal development for the coach by monitoring client work and developing existing or new skills in a supportive environment. Maintaining standards and ethics – coaching applied ethically and effectively and the correct processes applied.

Why is it so important?

Supervision is required for many of the “helping professions” including psychotherapy and counselling. A number of the professional bodies in coaching require all its members to have regular supervision. Organisations using coaches are now asking ‘who is your supervisor?’

How often?

There are varied views on the frequency of supervision sessions. It also depends on your current developmental needs and experience. As a rough guideline, a supervision session for every 6 hours of coaching or 2 hours per month.

What’s the difference between ‘mentor coaching’ and supervision?

Depending on who you speak to these words have different meanings. Supervision is considered by some to be synonymous with “mentor coaching” which, for the purposes and, as of writing, of the credentialing requirements for the International Coach Federation (ICF) consists of observed coaching and feedback on the presence or absence of the ICF core competencies in a coaching session.

Some of the accredited Coach Training Programmes use supervision to mean the above whereas others distinguish between mentor coaching (observed coaching & feedback) and coaching supervision (refective practise) and require both for successful completion of their programs.

To add to the confusion, mentor coaching can also mean mentoring on your business i.e. business development. The main thing is to consider what you want, i.e. the activity behind the words, when you start to work with someone as a ‘supervisor’ or ‘mentor’ and to know that they are experienced and trained to provide that service.

We believe that great coaches always need both mentor coaching and supervision. As a coach starting off there should be an emphasis on coaching skills development (‘mentor coaching’) adding coaching supervision once you have regular clients. For experienced coaches the emphasis will be supervision with occasional coaching skills observation. We can all learn something new or get into bad habits!