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Service Supervisors

IPCAPA is committed to supporting its service supervisors in their vital role in training our child and adolescent psychotherapists. This course is part of that support and is aimed at service supervisors who wish to enhance their supervisory skills in the ever complex NHS environment.

This course is aimed at child and adolescent psychotherapists who are service supervisors in an NHS setting. We particularly recommend the course to service supervisors who have not previously supervised an IPCAPA trainee.

It is an Association of Child Psychotherapists requirement for child psychotherapists who act as service supervisors to undertake training on the many aspects of this complex role.

Supervision skills are also seen as a crucial addition to professional and managerial development in NHS services so this will be a valuable addition to CPD.

You need to be a child and adolescent psychotherapist and a service supervisor in an NHS setting.

Trainee child psychotherapists have a 4-year placement in an NHS setting within which they learn all aspects of becoming a child psychotherapist, while their personal analysis and theoretical learning take place elsewhere. The Service Supervisor has the vital responsibility for facilitating their growth throughout this and IPCAPA are committed to enabling their Service Supervisors in this crucial role.

The afternoon is divided into two one-hour sessions, the first to address issues that commonly arise from the role, the trainee and their relationship (see below for the topics) and after a short break is followed by presentations from individual service supervisors of supervision sessions for group discussion and reflection.

In a confidential setting, Service Supervisors will be able to discuss their relationship with their trainee and any difficulties that they may be experiencing. The individual supervisor will bring their experience of supervising into a group where the experience is further processed within a closed and trusted group of colleagues.

The courses will be led by Heather Lee-Messner, an experienced child and adolescent psychotherapist. Guest speakers, such as Dr. Janine Sternberg, will be providing additional input.

Learning outcome

The course will address a range of issues including the following, through allowing space for the participants to talk about their experience as supervisors as well as drawing on their own experience of training and being supervised:

  • Supervising and supporting a trainee during the Covid-19 pandemic;
  • Selecting suitable training cases, the complications of working the case up, developing a therapeutic alliance with the parents/carers;
  • Aiding the trainee’s relationship with members of the multi-disciplinary team;
  • Concept of the supervisory model; distinguishing between modelling in service supervision and intensive case supervision; how to manage when the intensive case supervisor is recommending an approach that you and your department don’t feel comfortable with;
  • The idea of a “time-line” of growth. How does supervision help the student progress? Is this formally registered and noticed or does it happen invisibly? Supervisee’s part in the process – co-construction – who decides what gets brought to Service Supervision? Who is in charge of the agenda?
  • How do we effectively give feedback to a supervisee about how they are doing? Given that such personal issues are being thought about in what way do these affect the supervisee’s relationship with the supervisor
  • Transference issues between the supervisor and supervisee;
  • Dealing with endings with final year trainees – ending of cases and training.  The external job market support.

The trainee therapist has to learn to use him/herself in a different way as a therapist. We will look closely at how the supervisor facilitates the development of all this. We want to explore the difficulties that come up in the process of supervision as well as acknowledge the extraordinary privilege of helping someone to become a professional who over time learns to function autonomously.    

Course Aim

This course is aimed at child and adolescent psychotherapists, working in the NHS, Voluntary Sector, Education and Social Care, who have a trainee undertaking a placement and wish to enhance their supervisory skills.

We particularly recommend the course to service supervisors who have not previously supervised a trainee on the Independent Child Psychotherapy Doctorate (BPF\UCL\Anna Freud). It is an ACP requirement for child psychotherapists who are service supervisors, to undertake training on the many aspects of this complex role.

Supervision skills are a crucial addition to professional and managerial development in NHS and public sector services, so this will be a valuable addition to CPD.

Course Overview

The individual supervisor will bring their experience of supervising a trainee or other professionals to this group, where there is an opportunity to discuss and reflect on the dynamics of supervision.

This group will meet monthly on a Friday and the afternoon is divided into two parts;

1. To address issues that commonly arise from the role (see course outcomes for topics).

2. Presentations from individual service supervisors of supervision sessions coupled with group discussion and reflection, with the aim of strengthening and promoting supervisory skills.

£400 – Service Supervisors of IPCAPA trainees
£500 – IPCAPA trained Service Supervisors of non-IPCAPA trainees
£610 – Other Service Supervisors

On offer of a place, you will be invited to register and pay via debit card through a secured payment page.

Please note that the bpf will not be held responsible for travel/hotel expenses made or incurred in the unlikely event of this course either being cancelled or postponed. See our cancellation and refund policies for more information.

2024 Dates and Venue TBC.

2023 Dates were as follows:

The course was held online or at the Heather Lee Messner’s consulting room in Crouch End – N8. 

12.30 – 2.40pm on Fridays

13th Oct

10th Nov 

1st Dec

12th Jan

2nd Feb

8th March

19th April

17th May

14th June

12th July

The building has limited access – Please call us on 020 8452 9823 to discuss your needs.

Please email Edina Kernbaum, IPCAPA Training Coordinator:
Phone: 020 8438 2412
E-mail: [email protected]

The bpf is committed to diversity and inclusivity in all the work we deliver. We are fully dedicated to promoting, maintaining and supporting equality of opportunity in all aspects of our organisation and, as such, the bpf welcomes applications from all sections of society.