1-on-1 versus Group Supervision: What Do You Need?
Introduction
You might be reading this if you're someone just coming into the PBS field as a new practitioner, or maybe you've been working as a BSP for a while and you're curious about the grass on the other side. As someone who has run 1-on-1 and group sessions for a few years now, let me share some of my experiences about both of these.
What is 1-on-1 and Group Supervision?
First, let's quickly define both of these as we never want to assume everyone automatically knows what these look like!
1-on-1 tends to look like you and your Supervisor in a room, or online meeting, together with no others around. Pretty straightforward. You have your Supervisor’s full attention and are able to direct the conversation to whichever topics you’d like, following an agenda you’ve prepared. Your Supervisor responds to your agenda items in their typical style and may provide you with further reading and resources.
Group Supervision can be more diverse as it might be conducted alongside your peers within your organisation, or it could be with peers you've been matched with by your Supervisor. This looks like you amongst a few other people in the same room or online meeting space, with your Supervisor acting as the facilitator of the session. Your Supervisor’s attention is divided between all Supervisees and you may contribute only 1-2 discussion topics in the session each. Discussion is free-flowing between all Supervisees; not only the Supervisor can provide advice so you might hear tips and receive resources from others.
As a note, you wouldn't usually do group supervision with your direct line manager in the session. Partly because you're usually on different levels of knowledge and experience, but also because this might shift the peer aspect of what makes group supervision so comfortable.
As I type this, I realise I'm usually always in my group supervision sessions with my team each Friday. Whoops! I just enjoy the discussions we have and learning from my team. I do let others take turns to lead it so we can share around the experience of running supervision sessions. I might have to make a rule of missing every second session to give my team a more comfortable environment moving forward. This is why it’s important to reflect!
Why Might You Prefer 1-on-1?
Most people come to us with the idea of seeking 1-on-1 supervision as that’s typically what people think of when they think the word ‘Supervision’.
I’d say it’s the primary type of supervision I provide as it does give you full control of your sessions and development. Apart from that, I’d say the key benefits are:
No one else to distract or derail the conversation
You can tackle all the key topics you wanted to discuss
The working relationship between you and your Supervisor may solidify more quickly
Your practice may improve more quickly, and in more specific areas
You’re more likely to be able to progress further in the PBS Capability Framework due to targeting, and make it to your review faster
If you’re more on the introverted side, you might find it more comfortable
However, this style does come with a few drawbacks to consider:
It’s usually the most expensive type of supervision
There’s more pressure on you to bring the topics of conversation
There’s less knowledge and experience in the meeting to draw from since it’s only the two of you
Inherently less opportunity to build connections with other practitioners; this can be an issue if you’re already working in quite an isolating environment
Also less opportunity to spontaneously come across a scenario or topic that you’ll benefit from hearing more about
Why Might Group Work Better?
Group, as mentioned, comes in two different styles - organisation-based and peer. This may change some of the benefits and drawbacks, but overall they’re quite similar in structure.
If you engage in group supervision, you can expect:
To hear a wider variety of discussions, scenarios, and questions within session, including things you might never have thought of
To pay less overall - group supervision usually works out to be cheaper due to sharing the cost across multiple people
There’s a sense of ‘we’re in this together’ and that you’re part of a team, even if you don’t work together
You can be encouraged by, and get to encourage, your peers which can be great if you’re a solo practitioner or just coming into the field
It can be great evidence for the Proficient Level Capabilities around supervision since you’ve had more opportunity to engage in peer supervision
You may have people in your group with different specialties and areas of interest which you’ll be able to learn from too
Then, of course, to cover the drawbacks:
You may not get to all your topics if other’s topics have been more complex or taken more time
If you end up in a group where you don’t feel comfortable or aren’t given enough chance to speak, this can reduce the effectiveness of your Supervision
From time to time, other people might have conflicting values or opinions to navigate (though if you reframe this, it’s another chance to reflect)
You may have a slower time progressing through the PBS Capability Framework due to the less targeted focus
If you end up in a group with varying levels of reliability, punctuality, and commitment to Supervision, this might be irksome for you (for some this is a deal-breaker)
Other Points to Consider
If you don’t feel like you’re connecting well with the group you’re in, I recommend speaking to your Supervisor about this to discuss your options. There may be another group that has an opening that you’ll fit in with better, or a smaller group if that will suit you more.
If your organisation is wanting you to do group supervision as part of your PBS team, you may be more constrained in this so perhaps shifting some time to 1-on-1 sessions might work instead. An arrangement I think works quite well is group supervision with the organisation’s BSPs every two weeks, and then in the other weeks each of the BSPs get their own 1-on-1 session. So it goes by week:
Group supervision
1-on-1 session with BSP A
Group supervision
1-on-1 session with BSP B
In this scenario, the BSPs get all of the benefits of both types of supervision, while avoiding the drawbacks.
Conclusion
To summarise the above:
Reflection on 1-on-1 Supervision: Overall, practitioners more focused on achieving quick and predictable outcomes, and those who feel most comfortable in a 1-to-1 conversation will benefit the most from this kind of supervision.
Reflection on Group Supervision: Practitioners earlier on in their career who are more focused on learning as much as they can from multiple sources, and those who thrive best in a team environment where they can connect with others will benefit most from this kind of supervision.
Consider whether alternating between 1-on-1 and group might work for you.
It’s okay if your feelings about Supervision change over time too; make sure you talk to your Supervisor if you feel like you want to change things up.
Author: Rebecca Kim
