As a professional coach, staying on top of your game; maintaining ethical standards
and staying client-centred is a commitment and a responsibility. That is where
SUPERvision comes to play. SUPERvision is a reflective practice that challenges and
supports professional coaches to become more self-aware, effective, and resilient
through a continued engagement in reflective practice in an inspiring, caring and
confidential space.
Let’s unpack what is SUPERvision and how it differs from coaching or mentor coaching.
What is SUPERvision?
SUPERvision is a collaborative, exploratory and reflective process where a trained
Supervisor creates a safe space for a coach to learn and grow.
Think of SUPERvision as taking a helicopter view to help the coach see the session
dynamics. It shines the light on the coach’s internal responses, their blind spots, the
ethical dilemmas, and relational dynamics that may go unnoticed.
It’s called SUPERvision because it helps coaches see more clearly; their clients,
themselves, and the systems they operate in.
Why is SUPERvision important?
SUPERvision plays a critical role in raising self-awareness and reflection because:
Ethical integrity
Coaches often navigate sensitive, complex, or ambiguous situations. SUPERvision offers
a reflective space to explore ethical questions, clear judgment, while staying aligned
with professional standards.
Emotional support
SUPERvision provides a safe space for emotional processing and self-care, helping coaches maintain balance and avoid burnout.
Professional development
SUPERvision challenges coaches to think critically, reflect, and grow. It invites new
perspectives, and offers both personal and professional evolution beyond what is
possible in isolation.
Client impact
SUPERvision enhances the quality of the coaching engagement. As coaches learn and grow, so does their work; it becomes more impactful and transformational for their clients. Many professional coaching bodies, including the International Coaching Federation (ICF), the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC) and the Association for Coaching (AC), recognise SUPERvision as a requirement for professional development.
How is SUPERvision different from Coaching or Mentor Coaching?
SUPERvision Focuses on the coach’s internal process to deepen the coach’s self-awareness and ethical practice through reflective practice.
Each of these play an important role in the coach’s development journey and SUPERvision brings a panoramic view of the coach / client relationship and their systems which offers depth and clarity.
How does it work?
Let’s explore the coaching kitchen together to see how SUPERvision can support coaches develop with confidence.
Imagine you are a Chef who ran a small coaching kitchen. Your clients came in hungry for clarity, confidence, and change. You are a good chef and want to continue to get better so you seek a Master chef to provide you with guidance. That is when you start SUPERvision. You work with an experienced Master chef who helps you keep the coaching kitchen in top shape!
We will be using the 7-Eyed recipe book which is inspired by Hawkins and Shohet to explore how this works:
The customer’s taste
The ingredients and technique [coach’s actions]: You both review your methods and interventions and explore: did you sauté the sauce for a long time? add spices? gave advice? how could we do better next time?
The chef and customer relationship: Is the atmosphere warm and welcoming? or is it tense? how does the client feel? are they enjoying the ambience? do they trust the process?
The chef’s internal process: You reflect on your own emotions, thoughts and biases: “why did I get tense when the customer talked about their failure? is there something in me that is connected to that feeling? am I looking for constant approval from my clients?
The kitchen table chat (coach / supervisor relationship): Your supervision chat is a dish too! how you and the Master chef relate can reveal what’s cooking in your other relationships.
The Master chef’s internal reactions: Sometimes the Master chef shares their internal reactions as a useful data. I felt defensive listening to you, maybe your client feels this way too?
The whole kitchen environment (wider context): Zooming out to avoid narrow focus: are you stressed by the competitive workplace culture? are there any policies we can explore together?
Supervision ensures that coaching is safe, tasty, and nourishing for you to cook client centred dishes for everyone who comes to the coaching kitchen.
Coaching Focuses on the client and supports the client to feel unstuck and able to move forward.
Mentor coaching Focuses on improving coaching technique and performance related competencies.
