Intuitive Supervision: Supporting Counsellors to Grow Into Themselves

This is the heart of my supervision practice: presence, relationship, and co-creation.

When I first set out on my path as a counsellor, I felt an enormous sense of pressure to have it all figured out before I walked into the room. Sessions seemed like performances I needed to rehearse for - structured and mapped out in my head before a single word was spoken. I believed that to be competent, I had to be prepared with "evidence based" interventions, theoretical language, and a handful of solutions to suit every scenario. I have since discovered that I wasn't alone!

It took years for me to begin to relax into trust - to understand that what the people coming to see me most needed wasn’t my expertise, but my presence. That trust extended inward, to my own body, my intuition, my felt sense of what was unfolding between me and the person in front of me.

This is the heart of my supervision practice: presence, relationship, and co-creation.

Counselling as a Calling

I don’t believe counselling is just a job. For many of us, it’s a calling - a deep inner pull to sit in the mystery with others, to walk beside them through the shared human experience of pain and transformation. The same calling that drew me in continues to pull at me now - not toward a clinical model, but in the direction of something older and deeper. I believe counselling has roots in ancient healing practices. This thread runs through those of us who choose this path, or perhaps, are chosen by it.

Because I work in this way, I find that the supervisees I typically support are those who are looking for something grounded, human, and down to earth, with a touch of the lightness and humour that is so needed when working in an emotionally dense space.

Moving Beyond The Jargon

Many supervisees have shared how overwhelmed they felt by professional support that was heavy on jargon and light on relationship. They wanted to talk not only about what they did in the therapy room, but who they were while doing it. They longed to be seen and for their evolution as a person to be recognised beyond this.

In my supervision space, there’s room for theory, of course, but it’s not the centrepiece. What matters most is supporting you to step into your authenticity, to bring your whole self into the room, and to learn to trust your own inner knowing.

Working With The Wisdom of Your Body

Part of the supervision process involves developing body and energetic awareness; noticing what’s happening within and around you when you’re with a client. What sensations arise? What emotions move through you? What subtle information might be trying to speak through your body?

Over time, I support supervisees to deepen into this embodied knowing and trust the wisdom that lives inside them. I encourage counsellors and therapists to let their own nervous system, intuition, and energy become trusted guides, alongside theoretical knowledge. This kind of self-trust doesn’t arrive all at once. It unfolds gradually, as we learn to soften the grip of the inner critic and meet ourselves with more compassion, patience, and curiosity.

There is no rush or need for perfection. It is really just the ongoing process of becoming.

Parallel Process & Co-Creation

I believe supervision, like therapy, is a relational space where profound growth can occur. We are often in parallel process with our clients - what’s happening for them can stir things in us, and vice versa. Our supervision relationship is a space to gently explore this, to honour it, and to let it shape our work.

I don’t position myself as the expert who knows best. I’m a human being learning alongside you. I believe in supervision as a collaborative, co-created space, where you are not just supported, but also respected as a fellow traveller on this path.

Seeing The Bigger Picture

Together, we zoom out and look at the bigger picture of your practice. This includes navigating the changing landscape of counselling in Australia, such as registration, evolving standards and ethical frameworks - and helping you stay grounded and connected to your why as the profession shifts around you.

I also support supervisees who are confused about their path; whether they’re feeling stuck in organisational work, wondering if private practice is for them, or questioning if they even want to stay in the field. I’ve been there! There were times I considered stepping away too, but something always called me back. Now I know I’m not here to work within a rigid clinical framework. I’m here to honour the soul of this work and it feels much like breathing to me.

A Place to Come Home to Yourself

If you’re seeking a supervision space that welcomes all of you (fear and doubt included), I’d be honoured to walk alongside you.

Here, there is room to:

• Bring your full humanity to your practice

• Learn to trust your body and intuition as valid sources of wisdom

• Understand how your inner world shapes the work you do

• Slow down and listen to what your practice is trying to teach you

• Grow your confidence without losing your authenticity

  
  

This work asks a lot of us, but it also gives back if we’re willing to show up with presence, humility, and heart. My role as a supervisor is to create a space where you feel supported not just to become a better counsellor, but to become more you. You don’t need to perform, you just need to be present!

If you are a counselling practitioner or therapist and my approach resonates with you I'd love to hear from you. Contact me here.