Online Supervision ― A Handbook for Practitioners

As online therapy becomes more mainstream, the importance of using a means of supervision which parallels this is increasingly being recognised by practitioners and the professional bodies. Very little has been written about this newly developing way of working, so this book is timely. Online Supervision: A Handbook for Practitioners covers a wide range of issues, from the practical aspects of how supervision happens, through research, legal and ethical issues to specific therapeutic settings and issues. Existing models of supervision are considered in the context of the online setting and new models which have been developed specifically for supervising online are explored.

All chapters are authored by experienced online therapists and supervisors, who bring their considerable knowledge from their practice to illuminate this growing area of the profession. In many chapters, anonymised case examples illustrate the text, alongside reflective activities which readers can choose to undertake.

While the book aims to develop the practice of online supervision of online therapists, it is recognised that there are circumstances which mean that some practitioners may choose to engage in online supervision of their face-to-face work. This is recognised and guidelines for offering and engaging in online supervision are discussed. Many practitioners begin to offer online supervision without specialised training and the final chapter centres on a discussion about the value and necessity of undertaking preparation for working in a new medium.

Online Supervision: A Handbook for Practitioners will be highly readable and accessible to both experienced practitioners and newcomers to this field.

Anne Stokes was a senior accredited BACP counsellor and a trainer, and also had a large supervision practice. She was a Director of Online Training Ltd, founding the OCTIA Conferences (Online Counselling and Therapy In Action) with her co-director, Gill Jones, and was instrumental in setting up ACTO (Association for Counselling and Therapy Online). Currently she divides her time between her homes in the UK and France, and is trying to retire! She worked at Bristol University for 15 years, leading the Diploma in Counselling at Work and the MSc in Counselling Training and Supervision, and visits Malta regularly to facilitate modules on the Masters programme on Brief Therapy and E-Counselling. Anne has written a number of books, many articles and contributed chapters. One of the enjoyable things she did recently was to work with Tim Bond to produce a number of short filmed vignettes on therapeutic issues (accessible through the 4th edition of Standards and Ethics in Counselling in Action). She spearheaded the BACP curricula for e-therapy training and training trainers to deliver it.