Supporting pre- and post-supervision reflection
Becoming a mature coach is a parallel process to becoming a mature supervisee. So what does a mature supervisee actually look like?
By David Clutterbuck · 3 min read
It’s not surprising that reflection before and after supervision is a recurring issue for coaches and mentors using Ask David. Ask David (a curated AI clone of me & my work) allows Coaches, Mentors & business professionals to have a conversation with ‘me’ 24/7 and work through ideas, challenges and to develop clarity in your decision making.
It seems that becoming a mature coach is a parallel process to becoming a mature supervisee as we can see experienced coaches and mentors using Ask David to refine and improve their Supervision (both as a pre and post session exercise).
What does a mature supervisee look like?
So, what does a mature supervisee look like? Some observations from practice include:
They spend quality time preparing for supervision sessions. They apply high curiosity to any cases they might bring, reflecting upon not just what they have concerns about, but on the context of the client and the client’s systems. Some like to write up a case study, in which they identify and question assumptions.
They often have a mental conversation with their supervisor, before supervision – “what questions do I think they might ask me, and how can I prepare for that?”
When attending a group session, they reflect upon what they hope to learn from cases brought by other members (it’s good practice in group supervision for everyone to provide some case background before the session); and on how they can contribute to colleagues’ learning.
They reflect upon and capture their learning after a session. If they have pre-written a case study, they add to it in the light of the session dialogue. I regret not doing this consistently over the years, because this kind of case library can be invaluable in taking stock of our progress as coaches. Revisiting it from time to time can bring new insights, reveal hidden patterns and assist in self-challenge.
An invitation to research this together
The subject of pre- and post-supervision reflection is scarcely covered in the academic literature. If any coaches would like to join with me in constructing a study, please get in touch.
You can also try out Ask David (my AI clone) to help you with a your own pre and post supervision reflections (and many other challenges) with our free 7 day trial.
Questions
What does a mature supervisee look like?
They spend quality time preparing for supervision sessions and apply high curiosity to the cases they bring, reflecting not just on their concerns but on the context of the client and the client’s systems. They often rehearse a mental conversation with their supervisor beforehand, think about what they hope to learn from and contribute to colleagues in group sessions, and capture their learning afterwards.
How should you prepare for a coaching supervision session?
Reflect on the context of the client and the client’s systems, not only on what concerns you. Some coaches write up a case study in which they identify and question their assumptions, and many rehearse the questions they think their supervisor might ask so they can prepare for them.
Why keep a case library after supervision?
Reflecting on and capturing learning after a session, and adding to a pre-written case study in light of the dialogue, builds a case library that is invaluable in taking stock of your progress as a coach. Revisiting it from time to time can bring new insights, reveal hidden patterns and assist in self-challenge.
Is pre- and post-supervision reflection well researched?
No. The subject is scarcely covered in the academic literature, and David Clutterbuck is inviting coaches who would like to join him in constructing a study to get in touch.