Postgraduate Diploma in Coaching Supervision

Supervision is now recognised as an essential element of professional coaching practice.

Supervision is a formally contracted relationship with one person in the role of supervisor and the other(s) in the role of coach. The primary intention of supervision is for the supervisor to assist the coach gain additional understanding and develop the effectiveness of their coaching practice.

Supervision and coaching

Executive and business coaching is a complex activity. The coachee's agenda is likely to cover a range of themes such as strategic management, organisational politics, leadership development, work/life balance, and so forth.

The coaching relationship contains many layers of meaning, many of which are difficult for the coach to grasp during a particular coaching session. These layers include:

• Dynamics inherent in the coaching relationship (e.g. tensions when the coach is line manager to the coachee)
• Organisational dynamics replayed in the coaching relationship (e.g. a “blame culture” manifested as fault finding in the supervision relationship)
• The coach's personal psychological response to the coachee and their agenda (e.g. an Asian coachee bringing experience of discrimination to a white coach)

Supervision is important in assisting the coach to work with these themes and layers of meaning.

Additional Functions of Supervision

• Working with the psychological dimension of coaching: assisting the coach to develop understanding and confidence addressing the coachee's patterns of relating to self and others, including dimension of transference, counter-transference, personal conflicts, and so forth
• Support: The coach is likely to encounter many difficult and demanding situations, which at times may drain their confidence and resources. The supervision relationship can help restore a sense of competence and resilience.
• Maintaining professional and ethical standards: The maintenance of standards is a key aspect of the supervisor's role, including a responsibility to take action if the coach is unable or unwilling to address serious professional/ ethical issues
• Continuing professional development (CPD): The coach can develop their understanding of the theory and practice of coaching through dialogue with the supervisor

Professional Requirement for Supervision

The European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC) Code of Ethics requires that all its members have supervision (in a form, frequency and duration that meets the needs of the nature of the coaching/mentoring being undertaken).

Course Information

Who this course is designed for:

The course will meet the needs of the practising business and executive coach who wishes to take on the role of coaching supervisor.

The course consists of 16 days delivered over 6 workshops.

Course content:

• Definitions of supervision
• The functions of supervision
• Key theoretical perspectives on coaching supervision
• Contracting issues
• The Internal Supervisor
• Professional and ethical context
• Distinctions between related activities (supervision, coaching, mentoring, consultancy, training, therapy)
• Organisational context of coaching supervision

• There will be 1:1 coaching supervision practice/feedback sessions at each workshop
• Group supervision at each workshop
• Delegates will be expected to be offering coaching supervision at the beginning of the course, or begin supervision by the second workshop

Delegates will complete a Reflective Practice Journal and be required to complete 3 assignments during the programme.