The importance of the supervisory relationship during adverse and unprecedented times

Abstract

The article explores supervision during a time of adversity during a global, unforeseen pandemic - Covid 19. This has led to times of extreme struggle, creating an unknown and fearful world for many, ultimately impacting both the therapists and client’s worlds as modes of working are restructured and a ‘new normal’ is sought. The article investigates, through lived experience, how supervision can be used effectively during the health pandemic through using a duoethnography approach. An exploration of working from a position of perceived disempowerment and the challenges of overcoming barriers in an increasingly unsteady socio-political landscape is presented. Vignettes and images of the lived experiences of the supervisor and supervisee are provided, alongside the main body of content, highlighting the importance of the supervisory relationship. Supervision, and the consistency of its practice in this instance, is shown to enable the exploration of the client world and ‘meaning making’ despite the global pandemic crisis. It is demonstrated that through effective stability within the supervisory relationship, supervisees’ can be empowered to continue providing therapeutically sound services for clients through times of national crisis. Supervision is now, more than ever, needed to support therapists in this brash, destructive, uncertain world.