Clinical supervision as an emancipatory process: Avoiding inappropriate intent

As clinical supervision becomes more widely implemented in the United Kingdom with concerns and resistances being eroded as practitioners discover its benefits, it is important that potential limitations and perhaps failures are avoided. This paper utilizes Johns' (1996) intent-emphasis axis to explore how a technical interest, misunderstanding of expert practice, and confusion of self awareness with counselling, can detract from the supervisory process. Several of the criticisms of reflective practice will be examined to demonstrate where concerns are valid and where they may be based on misunderstandings and the need to control clinical supervision. Greater awareness of inappropriate emphasis and intent should enable even relatively inexperienced supervisors to help their supervisees move towards independence, emancipation and evolving expertise.