Working agreement between Counsellor and Supervisor
This information is valid from the 17th April 2024. It is periodically reviewed for accuracy. Changes will be highlighted at the top of the document.
Please note, wording was updated throughout for greater clarity. In addition, the fee amount was updated to reflect current charges.
Supervision Aims and Objectives
Supervision is a value of the BACP ‘Ethical Framework’. It is designed to offer you, as a counsellor, a reflective space in which to develop practice and so benefit client safety.
Session arrangements
The date and time of your supervision sessions will be arranged with your supervisor. Where possible, for the ease of diary management, it may be agreed to hold the sessions at the same time and on the same day each time you meet.
Before meeting, you and your supervisor will agree on the length of time the session will last. The normal appointment time is 60 minutes.
The supervision sessions can be held face-to-face or remotely over the telephone or via a video call.
Face-to-face supervision sessions
All face-to-face supervision sessions will be held at Unit12, unless agreed as an Outdoor session with your supervisor. Please note, a working agreement for Outdoor sessions would need to be completed prior to any outdoor sessions taking place.
Remote supervision sessions
Remote working may be something that you are familiar with, or it might be completely new to you. Remote supervision has been proven to be very effective, but it is different from face-to-face supervision as misunderstandings may occur due to the limitations of technology to accurately transmit all of our usual facial expressions, body language and tone of voice. It is therefore important for both you and your supervisor to feel comfortable in asking for clarification if you are unsure of something that either of you say or refer to within your exchanges. This will promote a strong therapeutic relationship.
We offer two different types of Remote Appointment; telephone appointments and Video call appointments. Choosing which is most suitable for you is something only you can do and will depend on how comfortable you are about using technology and what your relationship is with technological communication.
Telephone appointments: If you opt for appointments over the telephone, your supervisor will call you at the scheduled time of your appointment on the telephone number you provided as your preferred contact method on the Client Contact Details form. Should you need to change this number, please either email administrator@cau12.com or let your supervisor know.
If your supervisor cannot reach you, they will attempt to call you again a couple of times, followed by sending a text message to you, should the number we hold for you be for a mobile phone. Should the supervisor not be able to reach you, we will contact you to rearrange your appointment. Please note the terms for missed appointments later in this agreement.
Before attending your telephone appointment, please consider the best location for you to be during the session. If possible, try to choose somewhere you feel comfortable and where you will not be disturbed or overheard.
Video call appointments: If your chosen remote supervision method is via Video call, your supervisor will send you a Zoom link in advance of your appointment.
Zoom is a secure and encrypted service and is free for you to access and download; which you can do from www.zoom.us.
You can watch a video on how to join a Zoom session here:
https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362193-Joining-a-Meeting
The link will be sent via email, which will include a Meeting ID and password. You will be able to join the meeting either by clicking on the link or by entering the Meeting ID and password into Zoom. When joining the meeting, you will enter a virtual waiting room, and your supervisor will then admit you to the appointment. This adds a layer of security as only your supervisor can admit you to the appointment.
As with telephone appointments, please consider the best location for you to be during the session. If possible, try to choose somewhere you feel comfortable and where you will not be disturbed or overheard.
Please make sure that you have installed Zoom on your device before the session commences, with your video and microphone switched on. It is helpful if your device is positioned stationary so that it is stable and placed at an appropriate height so that your face is clearly visible.
Sound quality can be improved by using headphones with an attached microphone, but these are not essential.
Technological interruptions: While it is not common, using technology can present its own challenges and sometimes connections can be interrupted, and disconnections can occur. To minimise disturbance please ensure you are in a location with a strong signal for your phone or that your Wi-Fi signal is strong and stable. Closing down any unnecessary apps during the call also allows your device to be able to focus its resources on the call, reducing the chance of the signal dropping unexpectedly. We also strongly recommend that, where at all possible, you only use a private Wi-Fi connection and not a public hotspot. We also strongly recommend that you disable your device’s Bluetooth connection for the duration of the supervision session.
In the event a disconnection occurs and does not rectify itself within a couple of minutes, your supervisor will contact you using your preferred method of contact to work out how best to proceed.
Guidelines to the supervision work
We agree to be open and honest about the work.
We agree to be non-judgemental about the work.
We agree to confidentiality, within the normal limitations of harm to self or others, including your counselling clients. Supervision material to do with a specific client can be taken to the relevant client. Should the supervisor feel that this is necessary, they will discuss it with you first and make arrangements for the client contact details to be shared with them for this purpose.
We agree to work to the BACP ‘Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions’.
We agree to work together; this is a shared work, built upon relationship.
Your supervisor will also be receiving supervision regarding this work. Within the first six months of their supervision role, the supervision session may need to be recorded as a whole or in part, for your supervisor’s training requirements. Your supervisor will ask for your consent to the recording at the beginning of the relevant session. You retain the right to veto the recording of any specific part or whole of your supervision session. This right remains in place pre, during and after the session has taken place. Should you wish to remove consent for the recording of any or all of a specific session being used for this purpose, please speak to your supervisor as soon as possible.
Cancellations, punctuality and non-attendance
As is the case with your client work, we understand that at times life or unexpected commitments can get in the way of arranged appointments. As such, both you and your supervisor agree to inform the other party giving as much notice as possible should the session need to be cancelled.
Additionally, if either party is likely to be late to an agreed supervision session, they agree to communicate this as soon as possible, adhering to all lawful restrictions around communication whilst driving. In the case of a delayed start, the session will be extended to cover the full agreed time only if this is mutually possible. Should it not be able to extend the session’s end time, a catch-up session to cover any time missed will be arranged at a mutually agreeable time and date.
Unannounced non-attendance of a supervision session will be discussed in the subsequent session, with the potential of a review and renegotiation of the working agreement as outlined below.
Review and renegotiation
This working agreement can be renegotiated by either party at any time. After six sessions your supervisor will hold a formal review and evaluation session to ensure that the supervision is meeting the agreed criteria.
Fees and payment
The cost of the supervision sessions is £65 per session, or at the rate agreed with your supervisor. This fee is payable by bank transfer within 48 hours following the session or via cash on the day of your session. If you are paying by cash, please put the payment in a sealed envelope marked with the amount, the date of your appointment and your initials.
Please note that when paying by bank transfer, your name will be visible to the bank and the supervisors accountant.
Confidentiality (within the limits of the law)
As a general rule, what you say in supervision sessions will not be shared with anyone else. However, there are certain circumstances when confidentiality may need to be broken. This includes the following situations:
You or others are, in the opinion of the supervisor, seem to be in danger or at serious risk of being harmed.
The supervisor is required to do so by court subpoena.
The supervisee infers involvement in or knowledge of a serious crime, a threatened act of terrorism, knowledge of or involvement in drug trafficking or money laundering.
The supervisee infers knowledge of or involvement in behaviours that may, in the supervisor’s opinion, lead to harm or neglect to children and vulnerable adults.
Your supervisor will aim to discuss any concerns with you first.
At times your case will be discussed with a supervisor and brief written records of initial and on-going supervision sessions will be kept. These are available on request and kept in line with the current Data Protection Regulation. Please see our Privacy Notice on www.cau12.com/privacy-notice for detailed information.
Please note, recording of the supervision sessions is prohibited without express consent from both you and your supervisor. At times, your supervisor may ask for your permission to record a session for the purpose of self-evaluation and supervision. You have the right to decline this request and your decision will always be respected.
Under no circumstance must any recording of a supervision session be posted on Social Media sites or otherwise be made publicly available.
Your Commitment
As the supervisee, you are responsible for:
Preparing for supervision.
Being responsible for meeting your own supervision requirements.
Presenting client work, bearing confidentiality in mind at all times.
Taking ownership of learning objectives and applying anything you learn to your work with clients.
Feedback to yourself and your supervisor.
Keeping notes of supervision sessions.
Sharing key personal information that may hinder your work with clients.
Keeping your supervisor informed regarding the level of your caseload..
Your Supervisor’s Commitment
Your supervisor is responsible for:
Keeping notes of the supervision session. These will be stored appropriately and securely.
Creating a suitably safe and comfortable environment.
Timekeeping; starting and ending on time.
Providing relevant professional feedback.
Monitoring ethical issues of counselling and supervision.
Encouraging professional development.
Challenging you to take triggering material to personal therapy.
Monitoring your caseload and raising any concerns related to it.
Your Joint Commitment
Together you agree to take responsibility for:
Ensuring the best use of supervision time.
The right level of support and challenge being offered.
Agreeing to the theoretical approaches used.
Reports
Should you require a report to be written relating to your supervision, your supervisor may need to arrange an additional supervision session to complete the report. This will depend on the length of the report that is needed and will be negotiated between you and your supervisor on a case-by-case basis.
Contact with the Supervisor
In the event that you require urgent supervision, you agree to contact your supervisor by SMS text message or email. Your supervisor will then arrange a time for you to call at their earliest convenience.
To accept the terms of this Working Agreement, please complete the online form you can access by clicking on the following button.