What is coaching supervision? Why do coaches take supervision?
When you leave a coaching session, have you ever asked yourself these questions?
Why did I ask that question? What did the client’s story stir in me? What kind of coach was I in that session?
Coaching supervision is a safe and reflective learning space where we can follow these questions and look at our own professional practice from different angles.
What do we look at in supervision?
In a coaching session, the relationship we build with what the client brings matters as much as the topic itself.
In supervision, we explore the coaching relationship together, along with our own reactions, our assumptions and the ethical dilemmas we sometimes face.
Hawkins and Smith describe three core functions of supervision: developmental, resourcing and qualitative. This approach is a reminder that supervision covers not only a coach’s skills but also their professional identity.
Does every coach need supervision?
As our professional experience grows, we come to know ourselves better. Still, there may be points we find hard to notice in our own practice.
The ICF treats supervision as a practice that supports continuing professional development and that, under certain conditions, can be counted towards credential renewal. EMCC Global, for its part, sees reflective learning and supervision as an important part of coaches’ personal and professional development.
For this reason, supervision can offer a valuable space for development to coaches at every stage of their professional experience.
How does supervision work?
Supervision can be carried out individually or in a group.
In individual supervision, the coach explores their own practice in depth with their supervisor. In group supervision, coaches also have the chance to learn from one another’s experiences and different perspectives.
As an EMCC ESIA accredited coach supervisor, what I value most in this work is making room for coaches to look at themselves and their practice with curiosity.
To learn more about my coaching supervision work, you can visit my Supervision for Coaches page.
Sources
- ICF – Coaching Supervision Competencies
- EMCC Global – Supervision Centre for Excellence
- Hawkins, P. & Smith, N. (2013). Coaching, Mentoring and Organizational Consultancy: Supervision, Skills and Development.
We can begin with an introductory call to talk about supervision.
Let's meet for supervision