Supervision: an existential-phenomenological approach
offered over 3 evenings online via zoom by Dida Mitchell direct from London, UK
at 6.30pm on Tuesday 9, 16 & 23 JULY 2024
Introduction
As an existential-phenomenological therapist and supervisor, my approach is to stay with my client’s experience and to keep myself out of the picture, including my interpretations and my assumptions. I never assume to understand too quickly; the understanding would then probably be mine alone. I aim to arrive at a shared understanding, which is infinitely more powerful.
Therapists in supervision talk about the relationships that they are in with their clients. As a supervisor, my focus tends to be on the supervisee’s response to the client and to the client’s situation. And I always hold in my awareness that I cannot know how I and my supervisee interact and influence each other from moment to moment. As the philosopher Merleau-Ponty stated, we can never stand outside ourselves, we are always caught up in our bodies, views, and way of being.
Workshop Overview:
There are many ways to supervise and to ‘embody’ an existential and/or phenomenological approach. Each of the 3 x 2-hour evenings will comprise a 30-minute supervision session followed by discussions based on the topics outlined below:
- Supervising in a phenomenological way – what do we mean by phenomenological?
- Why existential?
- Responsibility in existential supervision – who is responsible?
- Assessment in existential supervision – how do we assess?
- Existential therapy and existential supervision – what are the differences?
- The supervisory relationship – how might that close down the supervisee?
- Our relationship with time and uncertainty
- How we understand change and learning
What you will walk away with:
- A clearer perspective on your ‘style’ as a supervisor – strengths and weaknesses
- Insight into how you view boundaries and self-disclosure
- An appreciation of the phenomenological world of supervision
- Awareness of responsibility from an existential perspective
- An understanding of what might make supervision existential and/or phenomenological for you
Who should attend
Practising supervisors who are interested in incorporating existential and phenomenological approaches into their practice
Facilitator: Dida Mitchell
Dida Mitchell works as an existential therapist, supervisor, and mediator. She facilitates various courses in London, Oxford and Birstonas Lithuania, on existential supervision. She and Monica Hanaway run regular courses on mediation and co-mediation at Oxford University. Dida was originally a classical ballet dancer, which was followed by working as a wardrobe mistress, in catering, as a receptionist and as a shop assistant. All these jobs required a confidential way of listening that created rapport and trust. She is married, has three children, three grandchildren and three cats – one of whom has three legs! Dida has written various papers about existential supervision for the Society for Existential Analysis Journal and Hermeneutic Circular (2002, 2009, 2019, 2024).
Her publications on supervision include:
Is the Concept of Supervision at Odds with Existential Thinking and Therapeutic Practice? The Journal of the Society for Existential Analysis (2002, 13.1)
Responsibility in Existential Supervision a chapter in Existential Perspectives on Supervision Ed. by Emmy van Deurzen & Sarah Young (2009)
Association for Existential Therapy (2019) and in The Journal for Existential Analysis (2019)
Re-visiting Existential Supervision, SEA Journal (2019)
Trust and Process in Existential Supervision, Mediation and Life, Existentia – Translated into Russian (2024) and the SEA HC
The Details:
ONLINE via ZOOM
Date: Tues 9, 16 and 23 JULY 2024
Time: 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm AEST each evening
Location: online via zoom (registrants will receive an invitation to participate and all the details they require in advance of the date)
Cost: $320 (flat rate)
CPD Hours: 6
note to registrants:
if you have registered for other CEP online workshops in 2021, the registration form will show checked boxes for those. Just check the box for this registration – you do not need to uncheck the others.