Essential Supervision Skills (BPS Approved Certificate in Clinical Supervision)

Can be taken as an individual course or as a part of:

The British Psychological Society Approved through the BPS Quality Mark Scheme.

2 days 9:30am – 4:30pm 14 CPD hours

Course Brief

Essential Supervision Skills (BPS Approved Certificate in Clinical Supervision) meets the training standards required for Chartered Psychologists to confer eligibility for the British Psychological Society’s Register of Applied Psychology Practice Supervisors (RAPPS).


This is a stand-alone course that can be taken by any practitioner as part of their continuous professional development (CPD).

It is also one of the modules within:


This practical two day course is ideal for those who supervise the clinical and casework of others. The two days combine an overview of the supervision process with an exploration of the practical problems which arise within it. With lots of opportunities for asking questions, sharing your supervision problems and ideas and networking with your colleagues this training is absolutely essential for those already delivering supervision or those wishing to train in it.


Essential Supervision Skills (BPS Approved Certificate in Clinical Supervision) meets the training standards required for Chartered Psychologists to confer eligibility for the British Psychological Society’s Register of Applied Psychology Practice Supervisors (RAPPS).


This is a stand-alone course that can be taken by any practitioner as part of their continuous professional development (CPD).

It is also one of the modules within:


This practical two day course is ideal for those who supervise the clinical and casework of others and/or those wishing to train in it.

The course is designed to provide you with an up-to-date theoretical overview of clinical supervision along with its practical application within a range of practice environments. The Certificate will draw heavily on psychological theories of therapy, learning and management including the Kolb Learning Cycle and Parallel Process models.

The two days combine an overview of the supervision process with an exploration of the practical problems which arise within it. A particular focus will be on common supervision problems and dilemmas and how they can be successfully addressed.

With lots of opportunities for asking questions, sharing your supervision problems and networking with your colleagues this training is absolutely essential for those already delivering supervision or those wishing to train in it.

Learning outcomes and objectives:

  • Delegates will have an understanding of both the functions and commonly used models of clinical supervision from Proctor to Hawkins and Shohet, from didactic approaches to solution focused ones
  • Delegates will understand how to structure supervision to meet their own and their supervisees' needs and build a productive relationship between supervisor and supervisee
  • Delegates will learn how to make supervision stimulating and to balance informal and formal elements in supervision
  • Delegates will practice the use of a number of supervision protocols and scripts and explore their adaption to their own supervision circumstances
  • Delegates will understand the different and interrelated nature of supervision, mentoring and consultancy
  • Practical issues from setting, frequency and duration, contracts and record keeping will be addressed
  • Delegates will explore common supervision problems and dilemmas and practice their resolution

Amongst others, the following issues will be explored and discussed:

  • What Exactly Should I Be Doing As A Supervisor?
  • A range of practical problems are explored and resolved:
  • Should or shouldn't there be a line management relationship between supervisor and supervisee?
  • How do I give feedback in supervision?
  • How do I balance professional responsibilities with a developmental/supportive role?
  • What about supervision records?
  • What is the role of confidentiality in supervision?
  • What Should My Supervision Meetings Consist Of?
  • How to deal with common supervisory dilemmas such as:
  • The supervisee who does not want to develop their skills
  • What to do with third party information regarding supervisees' work
  • How to deal with caseload management
  • The supervisee who resists all aspects of supervision.

Click here for the full SDS Accreditation terms for the BPS Approved Certificate in Clinical Supervision (see Accreditation tab)

Course Tutor

Paul Grantham
Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Founder and Director of SDS Seminars, a Senior Associate of The Royal Society of Medicine, Accredited CBT Therapist

Paul Grantham, Chartered Clinical Psychologist, a Senior Associate of The Royal Society of Medicine, Accredited CBT Therapist. He is the Founder and Director of SDS Ltd and one of the most popular and inspirational tutors in the field of psychological skills training.

Testimonials

Recommended Materials

The Challenges of Supervising Risk in Counselling and Psychotherapy - 6 CPD Hours

DVD by Andrew Reeves

This online training for supervisors will provide an opportunity, drawing on supervisory scenarios, to identify and discuss some of the personal and professional anxieties supervisee’s might have about working with risk and ways in which these might present in the parallel process in supervision.

Research tells us that student and qualified therapists alike will often turn to their supervisor for help at times of challenge when working with clients at risk of suicide. This, in turn, places a burden on supervisors in being able to identify the anxieties and fears their supervisees might bring into the supervisory relationship. It is additionally uncommon for supervisor training courses to fully prepare supervisors for their work in this area.