Seeing the world through a different lens – working creatively

I am a British Sign Language/English Interpreter who has been offering Professional Supervision since gaining a Diploma in Supervision in 2016. In August 2021, a tweet by @_intandem, describing an Advanced Programme of supervision workshops, caught my eye. I was keen to develop my creative practice and here was intandem offering a day’s training focussing … Read more

Exploring an alternative approach to support

I have been fortunate to have access to strong supervision throughout the majority of my speech and language therapy life. Reflecting on my supervision journey the high points have been when I have had a solid relationship with my supervisor; when the supervisor has been someone I have trusted and respected, and whom I have … Read more

The importance of supervision

Supervision can be provided in a variety of formats and styles and can include not only professional and clinical supervision, but also managerial supervision. As a clinician progresses through their career there is often a move away from clinical supervision into more managerial supervision. The emphasis here may be on setting priorities and objectives in line … Read more

Window

Sitting on my sofa just thinking… I am looking at cars, the people in them Going to work or walking to school There are birds on roofs, and hedges looking for food. The pavements are frozen – be careful   I am still thinking… Thinking about this little island This island that has helped so … Read more

An experience with narrative therapy

Human’s are interpretative creatures which means as we move through our lives we create meaning. This steady accumulation of meaning, is articulated to us, the protagonists, in the form of stories. We have a host of stories about ourselves. A story about our relationships. A story about our work. A story about our time at … Read more

Judged Response

One afternoon, whilst speaking to my closest friend Errin Yesilkaya, we wanted to do something. Just something. An exhibition sprung to mind, then I must have stammered shortly after this revelation. There we have it. Judged Response, an exhibition which places explicit focus on stammering, celebrating the differences of those people who stammer, demonstrating these … Read more

Talking Mats in Practice

Following on from my last blog introducing my journey with Talking Mats (TMs), I have described below two examples of my use of TMs in practice. I specialise in working with people who have had sudden onset brain disorders, such as strokes, brain injuries and other progressive brain disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease and dementia. … Read more

My Journey with Talking Mats

Talking Mats (TMs) I hear you say, is that a mat that talks?! And so begins my story of Talking Mats. Talking Mats is an evidence-based pictorial tool developed by Dr Joan Murphy in 1989. Since its creation, it is used in the UK and worldwide. What does Talking Mats do? It gives individuals with … Read more

Supervision keeps us awake!

I have been fortunate in my career to have some really excellent supervision, but all too often I hear from colleagues that the service they work in does not offer quality supervision. I regularly hear that for many it becomes a tick box managerial function, concentrating more on the doing of therapy rather than the … Read more

Supervision at the fork in the road

We all start out with dreams and ideas about how our careers will go. It’s hard to foresee when, where or why the forks in the road will come, but it is almost certain that they will. This blog post explores two key ways in which supervision helped me to negotiate a fork in the … Read more