UKCP Registered Gestalt Psychotherapist and Supervisor, Trainer.
Clinical Supervision
Therapists can only hold the things they hear if they themselves are held and supported. Clinical Supervision is essential to ensure good practice, learning from the client and to prevent burnout. Supervision is about exploring you as a therapist in relation to your clients with a seasoned professional.
Mel as a Supervisor
As a seasoned professional, I value regular supervision and know I need to use transference in the service of the client. I have worked across mental health, psychotherapy, and third sector care for over 40 years. This gives me a practical understanding of risk, trauma, organisational pressures, and the real-world context of therapeutic work.
Supervision with me is more than case management. It is a relational, co-created exploration of your work and your presence within it. I offer a steady, non-judgmental space where you can bring your doubts, stuck points, mistakes, creativity and strengths. Nothing is off-limits.
It’s my job to find a language that we both can speak. I begin by asking each supervisee to recommend a book that shapes the way they practice, helping us develop a deeper understanding of one another from the outset.
My role is not to tell you how to practice, but to support you in developing your own abilities, confidence and therapeutic presence. I will challenge you when needed, always in service of your learning and professional integrity. I will recommend theoretical text that can support your formulation with a client.
As a neurodivergent practitioner, I bring an appreciation of different ways of thinking, processing and relating, and aim to offer supervision that is flexible, intuitive and attentive to power dynamics.
How do I work as a supervisor?
My approach is rooted in Gestalt therapy theory and shaped by over 40 years of frontline and therapeutic experience. My humanistic foundations allow me to work effectively with practitioners from a wide range of modalities.
The space I hold allows you pause, breathe, and take stock of who you are as a practitioner. It’s not just about what you do - it’s about how you meet your client, your presence and how the work affects you. Supervision support is to explore any residual feelings and encourage you to grow.
I use a meta-therapy supervision approach (Gilbert and Evans, 2000). Together, we explore the way you work from different perspectives, along with what is happening in the therapy transferentially within your client or group. This develops your reflexivity and resilience. Supervision with me is designed so you grow not only in skills and confidence, but as the person you are within the work.
Mistakes can happen at every stage of practice, including among the most experienced professionals. We will approach them openly to reduce shame, thinking together about responsibility, repair, learning, and the most ethical way forward.
Therapeutic work can be unpredictable and challenging. I use a trauma prevention model to help you spot and respond to risks such as vicarious trauma, burnout, unconscious enactments, and stress patterns, so that you can stay healthy and effective in your work.
Equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) are woven throughout my approach. This includes paying careful attention to the power differences within therapy, supervision, organisations and wider society.
How I can support you
A Space to Grow, Without Judgement
You will bring your clinical experience, including uncertainty and stuckness, into a grounded, emotionally attuned space.
Creative Learning Space
Using Gilbert and Evans' meta-therapy model, you will build awareness of the therapeutic process work and explore your growing edge as a practitioner.
A Relational Exploration Process
You will explore contact, boundary and rupture-and-repair as living parts of your practice, not just case management.
Protection Against Burnout
It is my job to spot early signs of burnout and unconscious processes, so you stay vital, trauma-informed, and effective in your work
Clarity in Complexity
You can benefit from my 40+ years of clinical experience so you will build a confident approach to formulation, ethical dilemmas and client rupture and aware processes.
Frequently asked questions
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I offer clinical supervision to trainees, experienced practitioners, supervisors and groups. I have supervised with nurses, doctors, social workers, probation officers and psychologists.
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Yes. I work with supervisors to develop their own supervisory style, presence, and authority. Together, we can explore parallel process, dilemmas, and how to hold both the client and the clinician.
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I very much enjoy and encourage group supervision. If you have a group of practitioners please contact me.
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I was trained to use this model of supervision by the original authors and I can include it if requested to do so.
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Clinical supervision provides therapists with an opportunity to reflect on their practice, which can help them to improve their skills and knowledge. The meta perspective takes into consideration the client and supervisor environmental factors.
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Clinical supervision is designed to develop learning. This is not just theoretical but also how to apply this to your client work. The more experienced the therapist or supervisor is the more the transference processes becomes the focus of our work.
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Every therapist makes mistakes and I will encourage you to explore rupture and repair with your clients. However, occasionally, complaints are raised. I support existing clients through this process. I do not take on any supervisee who is currently undergoing an investigation or complaint.
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Clarity in contracting is essential to the trust in the relationship. I have a supervisory contract and we need to take time to do this properly.
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I actively encourage an exploration of ethical issues, EDI and power dynamics linked to levels of privilege. This is an essential part of the supervisory relationship.
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Location: Cardiff or online
Fees:
Trainees £60
Qualified practitioners £65 - £85
Supervisors £75 - £95
Legal Cases £250
Let’s explore how therapy can support you to live your life with confidence
