What Four Years of Running Supervision Groups Has Taught me: Confessions of an EMDR Consultant.
In my early career, I didn’t attend group supervision once. Nor my mid- career. I’d had group supervision in my Masters training but from the moment of I was employed as a psychologist, I sought one- to- one supervisionsupervision only. My thought process went something along the line of it being a waste of time. One- to-one supervision felt time efficient and additionally, it was focused on my cases. Group was inferior.
It wasn’t until 15 years later when I entered the EMDR accreditation process that I experienced group supervision again (in the world of EMDR we call this group consultation, however, they follow a similar format of shared learning). The only reason I sought group supervision was because it allowed me to complete my hours more quickly and it was cost effective compared to 1:1.
Here’s what happened next
To my surprise I did not find my accreditation groups “a waste of time” or a box-ticking exercise. In these groups I learned a lot about other therapist’s clients and caseloads. It quickly broadened my exposure to EMDR therapy, unique client responses to EMDR and the challenges that therapists experience when learning EMDR.
A potential factor in this was that the groups I attended were accreditation focused, meaning smaller number of participants and attracting participants who had completed the early group supervision hours that follow EMDR training and were pursuing accreditation. I did attend one basic training level group and found this unsatisfactory for my needs due to the basic questions being asked and number of participants reducing the quality.
Another bonus was that it reduced the isolation of sole private practice. I made some wonderful professional connections that continue to support me clinically and professionally.
So convinced was I by the power of group supervision, that when my Consultant Accreditation came through, the first thing I began promoting was group consultation.
From Inferior to Superior
The more I ran EMDR consultation groups, the more convinced I became of the benefits of group supervision. Even as the leader, I found I learned from my consultees in each group. I found each group to be invigorating and full of connection and growth opportunities.
As well as the benefits of increased exposure, group consultation gave attendees the opportunity to develop their confidence and competence in EMDR therapy as they offered suggestions to other participants. As they were encouraged to think about other therapist’s cases from an AIP theory perspective, their confidence in their own formulation skills grew.
I’ve run supervision groups for 4 years now, with the last evolution being the Synergy Supervision Circle. The Synergy Supervision Circle is a unique supervision format in which participants purchased 4 group sessions and access to me via the Voxer app.
I’m currently offering weekly group supervision to 4 Masters of Clinical Psychology students who are on the internal placement. In this group supervision I see some weakening of the benefits for learning, due to general inexperience, however, role plays, skills practice and didactic teaching of skills are appreciated by the students.
You might notice I’m not running group supervision through my private practice at the moment and here’s why.
The downsides of group supervision
Whilst I loved running group supervision formats, the admin and business side of group supervision is less fun. Groups require at least 4 therapists to be able to attend at the same time the convenor is available. Finding a time that works for everyone is impossible.
I found evening groups were most easy to fill; however, it is not my preferred time to work due to family commitments and my personal energy levels.
Groups require promotion and selling of places, at a level that is not required for 1:1. Rescheduling is not uncommon, and group places can be harder to fill than 1:1 so this often meant last minute promotion to ensure the group was feasible financially and also offered a group experience.
I found the Synergy Supervision Circle a good answer to most of these problems, except the required promotion.
For all these reasons, I’m taking a break from running group consultation and supervision for now (except for the students I train at a local university) and instead focusing on 1:1 supervision.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking to expand your learning in a new therapy model, I highly recommend group supervision.
I’d also recommend it for peer connection and networking purposes. It’s important to join a group that has convenor who facilitates a collaborative experience.
Group supervision is not inferior to one- to- one supervision and has great benefits for your development and broader professional networking needs.
Nadene van der LInden is a Clinical Psychologist, EMDRAA accredited EMDR Consultant & Therapist, ISST Certified Advanced Therapist and Supervisor in Schema Therapy and Psychology Board Approved Supervisor.
