Psychoanalytic supervision and clinical consultation

Supervision may begin with a particular session, a sequence of meetings, or a question that has become difficult to think through. We can consider the patient’s speech, transference, the clinician’s interventions, and moments of uncertainty, repetition or impasse.

My approach is Lacanian. My wider clinical formation has also included supervision mainly within the Freudian tradition, as well as Kleinian and Winnicottian traditions.

Supervision provides a regular opportunity to examine clinical work with another practitioner. It supports reflection on the reasoning behind an intervention, the development of the therapeutic relationship, and decisions made under pressure or in conditions of uncertainty.

It is also part of professional development: a place to connect theory with practice, recognise the limits of one’s experience, and consider when further consultation is needed. My contribution draws on psychoanalytic practice, clinical psychology and work in institutions, with attention to the responsibilities of the clinician’s own role.

I also provide supervision grounded in clinical psychology. This can address assessment, psychological formulation, treatment planning, risk and multidisciplinary working, alongside the therapeutic relationship and the wider circumstances of a person’s care.

The focus depends on the practitioner’s role, experience and setting. We agree the remit of the supervision and how it relates to the responsibilities and requirements of their professional work.

I also offer consultation to practitioners, teams and services working with complex adult presentations. This may involve psychological formulation, risk, differences of view within a multidisciplinary team and team building, or institutional factors affecting the care being provided.

This work draws on experience in adult inpatient, rehabilitation, neuropsychiatric and prison services, as well as leadership of psychology provision and multidisciplinary consultation.

A consultation may bring together different professional accounts of a person’s difficulties, examine an existing formulation, or help a team identify what further information is needed before making a decision. We agree in advance whether the work is a single consultation, a series of meetings or continuing input to a service.

Individual supervision and small-group work are available, either on a regular basis or for a defined period. Consultation can also be arranged around a specific clinical or organisational question.

The purpose, frequency, fee, confidentiality and any reporting requirements are agreed at the outset. If the supervision forms part of a training course or employment requirement, the relevant criteria must be confirmed before we begin.