Clinical Supervision
What is clinical supervision?
Clinical supervision is extremely important in the counselling profession for both beginners and the more advanced counsellor or psychotherapist. Supervision is a formal relationship in which there is a contractual agreement that the therapist will present their work with clients in an open and honest way that enables the supervisor to have insight into the way in which the work is being conducted.
What does supervision mean in the context of counselling or psychotherapy? In the interests of both clients and practitioners, most professional/ accreditation bodies for counselling and psychotherapy require members to incorporate supervision into their clinical practice.
Why is Counselling Supervision needed?
Supervision exists for two reasons:
- to protect clients, and
- to improve the ability of counsellors to provide value to their clients.
Supervision protects clients by involving an impartial third party in the work of a counsellor and client, helping to reduce the risk of serious oversight and helping the counsellor concerned to reflect on their own feelings, thoughts, behaviour and general approach with the client.
Counselling can be a very demanding profession, practicing as a counsellor can drain your inner resources, consume your energies and raise questions that you need to explore.
Here at HT Counselling we have highly trained and experienced supervisors. They have experience of working with trainees, newly qualified counsellors, helping professionals (social, support and community workers), as well as experienced and accredited practitioners. They hold a high level of supervision training and have a minimum of a Level 6 Diploma in Supervision. We also have a specialist supervisor who works with Young People and can offer experience for those counsellors working with this client group. All have extensive experience of various counselling working environments such as private practice and NHS settings.
Quality supervision should provide a safe pace for the therapist to step back and look at the therapeutic relationship between them and their client. For this to happen, we believe there needs to be a solid supervisory relationship where the therapist feels supported, safe and able to take risks. Overall we believe supervision should be a stimulating and motivational process in which challenge and reflection are very much a part.
Meet Our Clinical Supervisors

Helen Townsend
Psychotherapist / BWRT Practitioner
Integrative Psychotherapist / BWRT Practitioner
MNCS (Prof Accred) & MBACP
Practice Director
Clinical Supervisor
How we can help
Counselling, Therapy & Supervision Services
View our range of innovative therapy services that are affordable, flexible and without a waiting list:
- Short Term Counselling
- Long Term Psychotherapy
- Individual Counselling
- Creative/Play Therapy
- Anger Management
- Bereavement Support
- Mentoring
- Training
- Clinical Supervision
- Group Supervision
- Organisational Supervision/Mentoring
- (EAP) Employment Assistance Programme
- Low-Cost Counselling Service
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Integrative Therapy
- Humanistic Therapy
- Person-Centred Therapy
- Hypnotherapy