ABSTRACT
Supervision means different things to different people. Many professionals have supervision of their practice as a matter of course, often with their line manager. In counselling and psychotherapy, supervision is an essential requirement to practice, with established guidelines that seek to separate supervision from line management. The primary purpose of supervision in relation to therapeutic work with an individual or with a group concerns the well-being of the client or group members. The functions of supervision generally fall into three categories: supportive, educative and managerial. The supportive aspects are paramount. The educative aspects integrate theory with practice, by looking together at the skills and interventions used, and by considering the relationships that underpin the work. The managerial aspects relate more to the self-management of the worker than to institutional management, though agency issues are bound to impact on the work. The supervisor's role in the managerial sense is usually to monitor, advice and co-ordinate.
