Supervision and COVID-19

Practices of manaakitanga in a period of uncertainty

Abstract

COVID-19 has significantly affected the ways that human beings communicate and connect. Within the helping professions, experiences of anxiety and stress, and both potential and actual burnout for healthcare and social practitioners, have been reported. There has also been growing evidence of benefits from online methods of connection and supervision. Focusing on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic for supervision and supervisors, this article explores the experiences of five counselling supervisors in Aotearoa New Zealand. The research project was part of a postgraduate paper in professional supervision where researcher-students, all experienced counsellors, worked together on a supervised, collaborative project. The findings highlight five specific areas for reflection: implications for the supervisory relationship; an impetus for self-reflection on what is important personally and in terms of practice; cultural implications, particularly around care and manaakitanga; practical implications with shifting to online supervision; and the mental wellbeing of supervisors and those who consult them. The study offers space to consider what can be achieved in the work of supervision in the face of unforeseen circumstances. Events such as the pandemic provide an opportunity for supervisors to reflect on our supervisory experiences and shifts in perspective and on our own abilities to adjust to personal struggles, something we often explore with others in our work.