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Professional Supervision

Professional Supervision is a regular practice where professionals engage in either one-on-one or group discussions to reflect on your work practice and experiences. It provides an opportunity to debrief, receive emotional support, increase awareness, and reflect on challenging situations in a safe and supportive environment. Reflection is key. Supervision not only helps build your professional knowledge but also enhances practical skills, particularly when working with clients in mental health, trauma, and other complex areas. Supervision in this context is different to line – management or administrative supervision.

I provide two forms of supervision: Clinical Supervision for clinicians and Reflective Practice Supervision for other professionals.

Clinical Supervision

Clinical Supervision is an essential professional requirement for social workers, clinicians, caseworkers and other mental health practitioners. In clinical supervision, practitioners reflect on their clinical work, discuss challenges, and enhance their clinical skills through case review and thoughtful clinical discussion. The focus is on providing support and refining clinical practice knowledge to improve client care.

Reflective Practice Supervision

Reflective practice supervision develops and empowers professionals such as lawyers and allied health who often provide specialist services to individuals in distress. Supervision helps you build the emotional intelligence necessary to manage these interactions and your own personal reactions effectively. It provides a safe and supportive space for debriefing, reflection, self-awareness, trauma education and confidence-building, while also enhancing practical communication skills for working with people in high-stress situations.

Benefits of Supervision

  • Sustainable work practices that prevent burnout.
  • Improved well-being and self-care strategies.
  • Feeling supported and validated through debriefing.
  • Clarity in professional identity and career direction.
  • Better client outcomes and communication.
  • Increased confidence and practice skills.
  • Increased knowledge about client presentations.
  • Greater ability to reflect on your work.

“Melinda was a wonderful mentor to me from early on in my career. I appreciated Melinda’s reflective and clinical approach that was flexible to my learning needs and goals. Her support really allowed me to develop my clinical skills. She encouraged me to think in alternative ways, challenged me in areas I sought to develop and created a supportive space for me to progress my career much quicker than anticipated. She will support you to get where you want to be! whether in direct practice or leadership.” — Maddison Cassidy, Team Leader, Foundation House,

Who Can Benefit from Supervision

  • Clinicians and caseworkers
  • Social workers achieving mental health social work accreditation
  • Clinical supervisors
  • Managers
  • Allied Health
  • Lawyers
  • Teams and groups

I provide online sessions but can provide face-to-face sessions for organisations in Sydney.

“Melinda is an exceptional social work supervisor who combines her expertise with support and understanding. Melinda’s strengths are her ability to listen, and provide thoughtful, intelligent, and inspiring guidance. She also offers clarity when navigating challenging work experiences. Her extensive experience across diverse social work environments enriches her supervision, allowing her to draw on a wealth of knowledge to support my growth.” — Angela Jones, Senior Social Worker, Cabrini Health.

My Approach to Supervision

Every person brings unique skills and experiences to the supervision space. At person2person Consulting, I take a person-centred, collaborative approach, recognising the expertise you already hold while also helping you to reflect on your work and coaching you through any challenges. Together, we identify your strengths and needs, set supervision goals, and periodically review them. My role is to help you develop skills and knowledge to provide the best service for your clients while supporting your own professional growth.

The principles guiding my supervision practice include

  • Reflective practice
  • Trauma-informed
  • Solutions Focused Coaching
  • Confidentiality
  • Open communication
  • Creating a psychologically and culturally safe, supportive environment
  • Tailoring supervision to your experience level
  • Resource sharing
  • Ongoing evaluation of our work together

My Theoretical Framework

I draw on a range of clinical models that I have trained and worked in over the past 3 decades, including systemic relationship therapy, schema therapy, EMDR, ACT, mindfulness and psychological first aid. I also incorporate concepts from coaching, CBT and psychodynamic approaches, providing an integrative approach to counselling and supervision.

Setting Up External Supervision

I offer a free 15-minute initial phone consultation before booking your first session. This gives us a chance to discuss your professional needs and expectations and determine if I am the right fit for you.

To schedule a call or to make an appointment, please click here to contact me or email: melinda@person2person.net.au

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between supervision and management supervision?

Clinical and professional supervision focuses on support, reflection, and skills development, while the primary function of line- management supervision is administration and quality assurance.

Is supervision like counselling?

Supervision is not the same as counselling, although it provides support and may involve debriefing. I ensure that our sessions stay focused on your professional development, and I can recommend counselling if needed.

How often are supervision sessions recommended?

Supervision sessions are typically scheduled every four weeks, and I offer a regular day and time to ensure consistency. Supervision sessions are 50 mins.

Are sessions online or in-person?

I primarily offer online video sessions but can provide in-person sessions for organisations in Sydney. Most of my online supervisees are from Melbourne, where I practiced for 13 years.

What do I talk about in supervision?

Each session is different. Every supervisee is unique and will use supervision in different ways. Some people bring an agenda with topics to discuss, others come with a general idea of something they want to explore. This could include:

  • client communication issue
  • complex cases
  • the client population
  • common theme/s that keeps arising
  • organisational issues
  • debriefing about a distressing situation
  • trauma-informed practice concepts
  • work-life balance
  • managing workload pressures and time management
  • questions about the impact of trauma or mental health
  • mental health case discussion.
How can I use supervision as a manager?

I work with managers in supervision as well as in leadership coaching. In supervision, there is scope to discuss a range of leadership issues. Leadership coaching targets specific areas that a manager would like to change or improve.

What are your fees?

My fees align with the AASW recommended schedule and are reviewed annually. Discounts are available for private fee-paying supervisees, and I do not charge GST. My current rate is $240, or $220 for privately paying individuals. Please contact me if you would like to discuss group supervision fees.

What happens in the first supervision session?

In your first supervision session, we’ll explore what brought you to supervision, your professional background that informs your work approach as well as your strengths, competencies, and areas for development to determine what you would like to achieve through ongoing supervision sessions.

Can you support me through the mental health accreditation process?

Yes, I have supervised social workers working through the mental health accreditation process. I provide a place to talk through cases and provide guidance on where your work fits with focused psychological strategies.

Can supervision help me establish a private practice?

While I offer clinical supervision to discuss clinical issues, I also provide workplace and business coaching to support mental health practitioners establishing their private practices. Coaching provides support and motivation to reflect on your business ideas and develop your own strategies for business development. I don’t provide business advice but may suggest some helpful resources.