Commentary (GW) on Chapter Six: Reflections on the theory and practice of supervision

Here, Pedder talks about the dual function of supervision, where sometimes supervision can feel more like therapy and therapy can feel more like supervision. He offers an accessible account of supervision with lively metaphors taken from gardening, including potting and pruning among the gamut of supervisory activities, bringing alive the process of supervision with some straightforward advice about the challenges that face the clinical supervisor. The chapter has an advisory tone, combined with a sort of tendermindedness (see Chapter Seven, where Pedder uses the term), and I think the chapter offers a good reflection of some of the essences of Pedder’s supervisory style in practice.