Art based group supervision in lock down

When we were first locked down like many coaches I realised the enormous impact it was going to have on my practice, my clients and myself. This challenging and very new space we all found ourselves in was causing me to ride a roller coaster of emotions – from wondering if my business was going to survive (including me) through to the amazing space for reflection, new opportunities and re-connection to what is really important to me.  With all this going on in me, I realised this was probably very similar to what other coaches were going through and I wanted to offer coaches a creative, supportive and safe space to explore this for themselves (whatever this was for them). So I launched into virtual art based group supervision sessions, offering a series of free sessions to coaches who use art as part of their practice. I had never done this before although I have been supervising for a few years both 1:1 and group, and worked virtually with groups, but never virtual art based group supervision. So, learning a bit about Zoom, and with some trepidation, but a belief in the process, I started!

Needless to say I have learnt a lot and, even knowing the power of art based coaching and supervision, I have been amazed at the space we all created together. I would like to say a big thank you to all the coaches who joined me on this learning journey. I am pleased to say that virtual art based group supervision is here to stay and if you would like to know more please go to the supervision page.

 

‘Anna’s accessible structure for the sessions and the relaxed and purposeful atmosphere she is able to create frees you up to explore things from a very different perspective. Her powerful questions about the image you create bring new ways of seeing into the mix and, in my case, tapped into the emotional elements underpinning my take on the issue, which signposted ways through it.’ David Love

 

Art based supervision images created by group members

 

What David and Kay said about their supervision experience

David Love, Executive coach, coach supervisor and mentor, and coach developer (June 2020)

I recently completed a pair of art-based “lockdown” group supervision sessions with Anna, which were extremely insightful.  I’ve been coaching for nearly 20 years and as a coach who regularly uses sketching, visual and other creative techniques was already “sold” on the power of this way of working. However, I was still surprised by how my visual representation of the profound challenges I am facing unlocked important learning that almost certainly would have been inaccessible using a more rational, cognitive approach.

Like the coachees we meet I am a skilled, resourceful and experienced person – yet thinking hard about the issues involved prior to the supervision sessions had not cracked my conundrum. Anna’s accessible structure for the sessions and the relaxed and purposeful atmosphere she is able to create frees you up to explore things from a very different perspective. Her powerful questions about the image you create bring new ways of seeing into the mix and, in my case, tapped into the emotional elements underpinning my take on the issue, which signposted ways through it.

In addition, Anna’s expert facilitation enables others in the group to notice, for example, apparently small, but highly significant features of your image, which add to the exploration and insights.

I’ve been captivated by Grayson Perry’s “Art Club” series on Channel 4, which has engaged members of the public in finding creative ways to deal with lockdown.  The programme provides a powerful illustration of how creative endeavour can help us all understand, manage and even play with the challenges life throws at us. Anna has found an exciting and insightful way to apply this philosophy into the field of coaching and supervision.

… and all this delivered (at the moment) seamlessly via Zoom!

Thank you Anna … and the group.

 

Karen Walters, Career Coach (June 2020)

Thank you Anna for another great Art based group supervision session. I find the free flow art process so revealing and personal. No tools, no tricks, just me. It definitely goes very deep and achieves quick results that really get to the root of the issue, with Anna and the group providing a safe confidential space. Today revealed my self limiting belief as my barrier. This was discovered through the groups insightful observations of my art. I can now work on this by unpeeling the onion and challenging myself in order to move forwards. You do not need to be artistic. You can use any medium. It is about making your own marks and learning to read the message those marks reveal to you.

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