Support and supervision

Part of the work of Pastoral Care Advisers is to explore the needs and offer suggestions for provision of both Supervision and Consultation within the Diocese. These two are similar, but essentially different.

Supervision is the opportunity for clergy and others involved in pastoral care to be able to sit down with an experienced person and reflect on their work, either on a regular basis, or on a short term basis, if a particularly difficult problem presents itself and needs to be worked through. This is in order 1) to ensure that help given is effective; 2) that is focussed on the needs being expressed; and 3) that the pastoral care worker has the emotional support necessary to do the work and keep the boundaries of distance and proper involvement. It has been said that an army is only as good as its supply line. This is ensuring that a supply line is available and working with those involved in the front line of pastoral care.

Consultation is where a person may need help to explore what resources are available for a particular problem, often as to how to be an effective supporter of someone who is getting their primary help elsewhere or who has yet to ask for help, but obviously needs it. A parent, for instance, who may be concerned about their child’s drug taking, who wants to be informed of what sources of support are available for both the child and themselves, and to discuss what their most helpful stance might be to the situation when they are not the ones who should be giving the primary help. This is usually of shorter duration than supervision. It is often valuable to be able to discuss with another person what resources can be accessed, and in what order, and how well intentioned friends be able to offer support without interfering.