Supervision and Domestic Violence: Therapy with Individuals, Couples and Families

Abstract

This chapter explores the supervision of therapeutic work with individuals, couples, families and groups where violence is of concern, both past and present, and which includes neglect, physical, emotional, psychological and/or sexual violence and exposure to violence. The type of supervision considered here can be training, managerial and/or consultative, ranging from an educative function where the supervisor carries a clear managerial or normative role, to consultancy for experienced and qualified practitioners who hold responsibility for the therapeutic work they do with their clients. This always involves the development of skills, understanding and abilities, awareness of the emotional impact of doing this therapeutic work, and some functional and governance responsibility for the welfare of the clients and the supervisee. The supervision contract covers the five key areas of (a) practicalities, such as time, place, frequency, allowable interruptions; (b) boundaries, such as duty of care and confidentiality, and the relationship between therapy and supervision; (c) the working alliance in supervision, such as mutual expectations and the contract as a safety framework; (d) the format of the supervision session, such as style of working and preferred theoretical models; and (e) consideration of both the organisational and professional context within which the supervision takes place. It is not assumed in this chapter that the supervisor and supervisee should always have the same type of training, or belong to the same discipline, because supervision in the context of interpersonal and family violence involves both formulation from different theoretical perspectives in order to understand, explain and prevent further violence, and is grounded in a safety methodology that is pan-theoretical (Domestic violence and family safety: A systemic approach to working with violence in families, Chichester, 2005; Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry 17: 181–185, 2012).