Abstract
The approach discussed in this chapter offers a perspective based on the idea that what goes on in the supervisory situation itself in terms of relationships between all involved, the climate and the culture created, serves as a model of what can happen in the supervisee’s own professional work. In other words: The logic behind this way of supervising rests on the transferability of a culture of supervision into the supervisee’s professional work.
The concept of dialogue is central. This term involves both verbal exchange and emotional and bodily levels of human communication, consciously and unconsciously. Experiences, over time, in a climate governed by dialogical principles, may create a dialogical group culture, which may profoundly affect the participants personally and professionally. The intention is to create a culture where movements, complexity, diversity, and surprises are dealt with as invitations to be flexible and improvised, in a benevolently open manner.
“Any standardized method of therapy,
no matter how effective with certain problems,
cannot deal successfully with the wide range
that is typically offered to a therapist.
Flexibility and spontaneity are necessary”
(Haley, 1987:8)
“Competent therapy requires that you
get outside of your comfort zone,
stretch, and learn how to interact with clients
in a way that works for them”
(Gehart, 2016:4)
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Notes
- 1.
In order to avoid the dominating gendered he/him/his, I am making a statement using the female she/her/hers, except when there is an explicit reference to a man. This statement is made in relation to an overarching tendency in the Modern Western society to “masculininize” humanity by the use of nouns. I have not found a “genderfree” noun that would free us from having to confront this dualism.
- 2.
In October 2016, I invited members from five different dialogue groups to come together to reflect on our way of being together. Nine people came. I also invited a collegue, an experienced family therapist to conduct the reflecting session . I was a mere listener in the room. The reflecting session went on for 2hours. I voice recorded the conversation. The reflecting talks was a collaborative inquiry into these dialogue groups. I had asked “the conductor” to ask open questions about how the participants percieve the groups; what a dialogue group means to them, why they participate in them and if they feel being in the group makes a difference for them workwise. The reflecting sessions was led with very little structure , and I was amazed how easily they got into the mode of dialogue.
Another day, I asked one of the dialogue groups to have a reflection, while I was listening , about the same questions the people above had reflected on.
Later on I transcribed the recordings, and they serve as a background for part of this chapter. The quotes in the chapter are from these recordings. The participants are made anonymous, and they have all agreed to lend their voices to this chapter. So has Blossom, who wrote the story about her supervisory relationship with “Yngve.”
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Vedeler, A.H. (2017). Creating a Dialogical Culture for Supervision. In: Vetere, A., Sheehan, J. (eds) Supervision of Family Therapy and Systemic Practice. Focused Issues in Family Therapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-68591-5_7
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