Greetings from the Project Team in this new year, 2025. As we reflect on the approximately 90 years experience we collectively have in supervision, we thought it a good time to take stock and consider the ‘who-and-why’ of The Project Team.
Understanding why we are in this work is a helpful guide to knowing what the work is that we want to do.
Periodically, we make time and space to come together and reflect on our work, discuss themes and trends we’re noticing in supervision, share literature and resources, and plan offerings that might benefit others.
In late November 2024, we devoted a day and met at Te Whare Mahana, where Rod lives and works in Wellington. We started the day with a post-it brainstorm based on these questions:
- Why do we exist?
- What does The Project Team stand for?
- What are our values and principles?
Our reflection helped us remember and recognise our experience and wisdom, our diversity personally and professionally, and the strength of our connection to different professional disciplines.
To clarify, the three of us are not in a collective peer supervision trio; we each have other supervision arrangements, and we recognise our reflective needs are rarely met from one space. Rather, we are in relationship as private practitioners and colleagues. This is additional, enriching and optional because we’re choosing to work together, not just meeting our base ethical obligations in supervision. This creative, relational, safe and validating approach to collaboration has allowed us to offer each other peer/collegial support, be role models to each other (and others we work with), and share the load when needed. Working as private practice supervisors can often appear to be isolating and lonely. Coming together supports us in our dialogue and and holds ourselves accountable in our practice. Essentially, working together is more fun than working alone!
The piece that brought us together is a framework, a set of shared values and principles. In our November meeting, we emphasised an importance of knowing our place as Tangata Tiriti in our Aotearoa New Zealand practice context. We are staunch about strengths-based and experiential approaches. Ako feels like an important cornerstone value for us; a short word with deep meaning.
Beyond this, our relationships enable us to challenge, stretch and grow. We have a desire and willingness to share our learning so far, and our resources with others. Whilst we baked some cheese and rocket scones on this day in November, we experienced and participated in forms of manaaki. This symbolises our capacity to facilitate professional development training and amplify our voice in the field of supervision. It feels like a responsiblity to open the lessons learned in our private practice with others for others to benefit from.
By the end of our day, with windows and whiteboard covered in post-it notes, and books scattered around the room, we become clearer about what workshops we’d like to share with our wider community for 2025. Stay tuned to our website and e-newsletter for more information.
As you enter 2025, what is your why?
What training might you like us to offer to support your why?
Ngā mihi nui,
Karen, Rod and Chris