ABSTRACT
Using myth and metaphor, this chapter explores some issues, illustrating the power of the unconscious that might blur the judgement of the assessor. It seeks to illustrate the function of the assessment process and the qualities looked for when preparing an assessment. An important safeguard against a difficult summative assessment is to invest considerable care and thought into the formative assessment process, to ensure there are no surprises. A common structure in social work, counselling, and psychotherapy trainings is the use of the Formative and Summative assessment process. Using the story of Janus as a metaphor draws attention to the complexity and the “confrontational” nature of the supervisory relationship during assessment. The supervisory relationship, unlike that of the analytical relationship, is generally more spontaneous in that the supervisor is essentially relating to a colleague, be it that the relationship is asymmetrical due to the experience of the supervisor.
