The supervision of counsellors in South Africa

The supervision of inexperienced counsellors and other helping professionals should be regarded as an integral, rather than a peripheral, part of their initial and ongoing training. Furthermore, supervision can play an important role in the development and maintenance of professional competence, and in providing support for the experienced practitioner who wishes to provide the highest quality of care for clients. Training of registered counsellors in South Africa presents unique challenges to supervisors. Supervisors and supervisees need supportive information to stay informed about policy changes, trends and research - from the community within South Africa and internationally - that influence and nature and productivity of the counsellor process. This publication answers this need by focusing on the fundamentals of supervision and its effective utilisation. The chapters cover a variety of topics, from accessible theory on the role and functions of the supervisor and the development stages of the supervisee to eminently practical chapters on report writing and preventing counsellor burnout. Suggestions on the use of metaphor and story in counselling add depth, while the many sample case studies bring focus and immediacy to the text.