The supervision of inexperienced counsellors and other helping professionals should be regarded as an integral, rather than a peripheral part of their initial and ongoing training. Furthermore, supervision can play an important role in the development and maintenance of professional competence, and in providing support for the experienced practitioner who wishes to provide the highest quality of care for clients.

Training of registered counsellors in South Africa presents unique challenges to supervisors. Supervisors and supervisees need supportive information to stay informed about policy changes, trends and research – from the community within South Africa and internationally – that influence the nature and productivity of the counsellor process.

This valuable book answers this need by focusing on the fundamentals of supervision and its effective utilisation. The chapters cover a variety of topics, from accessible theory on the role and functions of the supervisor and the development stages of the supervisee to eminently practical chapters on report writing and preventing counsellor burnout. Suggestions on the use of metaphor and story in counselling add depth, while the many sample case studies bring focus and immediacy to the text.

The various authors contribute diverse styles and perspectives.The authors are South African practitioners involved in the fields of education, counselling and clinical psychology in different contexts of work (universities, private practice and training). Many of them have been involved in training workshops for supervisors of psychologists and counsellors for Continuous Professional Development since 2000.

Although primarily intended for training institutions for use by registered counsellors, this book will also be of great interest to social workers, institutions which train lay counsellors and those who support lifelong learning in the field.