Supervising counsellors and psychotherapists who work with trauma: a Delphi study

ABSTRACT

In this study the Delphi technique was used to identify the main supervision issues that require attention and consideration when supervising counsellors and psychotherapists working with trauma. A panel of supervisors, who were additionally experienced in working with trauma in adulthood, completed a series of three questionnaires comprising two qualitative and one quantitative round. Themes and key concepts were identified from the data, and the respondents rated the importance of the themes using a visual analogue scale. This iterative process identified areas where there was consensus amongst the respondents and areas where contention was apparent. The results revealed significant issues pertinent to the supervision of trauma therapists, with a particularly strong emphasis around training, experience and organisational issues. Directions for further research emerging from the study are also discussed.

Keywords:

• supervision
• trauma
• Delphi study

Acknowledgements

The research for this article was conducted as part of my studies for an MSc in Psychological Trauma at Chester University. I wish to thank the participants for their time and considerable contributions to this research. Additionally I would like to thank Professor Fiona Irvine for commenting on a draft of this paper. Her feedback was much appreciated.