“Success is a journey, not a destination'

Ben Sweetland

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If you are interested in increasing  your confidence or enhancing  your skill level, Ms. Brierley offers hourly Supervisory Consultation to those individuals,  having graduated with a Master's Degree, who are either; newer to the field of psychotherapy/counseling therapy,  or seasoned counsellors. Regardless of your level of skill, it is important as a clinician to have a safe place to explore, refine, and clarify, learning different perspectives and skills in dealing with situations, clients or issues you find difficult.  As a  Registered Supervisory Consultant with BCACC,  Shelley's 40 years' experience in the field of counselling, teaching and supervising others,  has earned her a depth and breadth of understanding, insight and expertise in supporting others in their growth as therapists.

Supervisory Consultation has been defined in many ways, but is essentially a conversation between professionals aimed at promoting learning, reflective practice and improving client safety and the quality of client care. It is a circular process in which the supervisory consultant involves mentoring the practitioner through dialogue and observation.  A natural biproduct of the process  is that together they become co-learners, collaborating for the best interests of our clients', and society at large. 

 If you are wishing build your confidence or enhance your skill level,  for our purposes it includes: 

• Teaching: A process that involves advising, helping, and inspiring 
• Intervention: A more senior member of a profession providing guidance to a more junior member 
• Professional development: A process that aims to enhance the effectiveness of the person being supervised 

Some elements of effective Supervisory Consultation include: 

• Building trust and mutual understanding with staff
• Investing in individuals success
• Two-way communication
• Accountability
• Self - Evaluation
• Supervisory input
• An emotionally safe environment where one can share, ask, learn and grow

My primary focus as a Supervisory Consultant, whether in a one off or ongoing sessions, is to assist supervisees in identifying their hoped for outcomes. This is done by creating and engaging in a meaningful interaction,  in which we bring to awareness present patterns of thought and action in order for the individual to align the same with those of our authorizing organizations,  ethical values and best practices.  In so doing my aim is to be a support, facilitating individuals in being the best they can be in a sustainable, effective, and autonomous  manner, while along the way, modeling the concept of  'life long learning'.

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“What can we gain by sailing to the moon

 if we are not able to cross the abyss that separates us from ourselves?”  

Thomas Merton

Painting by Shelley Brierley