Deborah Rusden

I haven't followed a traditional route into counselling, and I believe that gives me a broad perspective when supporting practitioners. Also , because I have been on this planet for nearly 60 years of sometimes turbulent waters I feel that I now have a steady , calm perspective for most situations I have encountered .I do not know the answers , but I am not afraid of the questions. 

My career has included three very different professions.

I spent 11 years as a school teacher, where I learned the importance of communication, understanding different learning styles and creating psychologically safe environments.
I then retrained as a Legal Executive and ran my own business for around 15 years, managing more than 40 members of staff, and solely taking responsibility for the HR within the business.  That gave me experience of leadership, difficult conversations, ethics, accountability, conflict management and supporting people under pressure.
For the past 18 years, I have worked within mental health. During this time I have worked as a:
            Project Co Ordinator for a domestic abuse charity specifically concerned with women who were leaving prison 
Mental Health Awareness Trainer
Mentor
Advocate in a mental health charity with specific duties around training of clients and aiding in the facilitation of finding employment 
NHS Mental Health Team member
Alongside this, I trained as an integrated counsellor and have experience working with a wide range of clients presenting with anxiety, depression, trauma, bereavement, relationship issues, neurodiversity and life transitions.

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Personally I have also competed on an international stage in sport . The long term training, and the failure that existed working towards the goals were made easier by my being able to adopt a calm focus at big events and ability to remain stoic in the face of any adversity.

What Supervision Means to Me

For me, supervision isn't about someone checking your work, which might be seen as the case if your background is not a counselling one . 

It's about creating a professional relationship where you can think, reflect and grow safely, regardless of industry.

Good supervision should be somewhere you can bring:

your successes
your uncertainties
challenging client situations
ethical dilemmas
mistakes
emotional impact
your professional development
And all of these should be WITHOUT FEAR OF JUDGEMENT.

I believe supervision should leave you feeling supported, challenged appropriately and more confident than when you arrived.

My Philosophy

My supervision is built around several principles.

Safety

Psychological safety comes first.

Curiosity

I won't tell you what to do.

Instead , I'll help you think more deeply and discover your own answers.

Compassion

We all experience self-doubt.

Supervision should reduce shame, not create it.

Accountability

We also have responsibilities to our clients, our profession and ourselves.

Support and accountability go hand in hand.

Development

Whether you're a student or an experienced practitioner, we never stop learning.

My Integrative Approach ( for use when delivering to the counselling profession) 

As an integrative practitioner, I draw on different models depending on what is most helpful.

These include:

Person-Centred
Solution Focused Therapy
Transactional Analysis
Psychodynamic thinking
Gestalt awareness
Psychoeducation of trauma stabilisation 
Reflective practice
Within supervision I also draw upon established supervision models where appropriate, helping supervisees think about client work, themselves, the therapeutic relationship and the wider systems influencing practice. I do this using the functional model and elements of the Process 7 eyed model . 

My current supervision fees are:

Qualified practitioners

£65 per 90 -minute session ( counsellors) 
£55 per hour for organisational supervision 
Students

£50 for a 90-minute session
Group supervision

Up to six people
£120 for a two-hour session
Venue costs would be additional if I am required to hire a room.
I offer individual supervision from my private office as well as an online service 

Professionally I am:

Fully insured with Public Liability Insurance up to £6 million
ICO registered
Confidential records are securely stored for five years in accordance with current requirements. These are minimal in nature and consist of a maximum three word descriptive areas per session 
No records are kept for Organisational Supervisions , group or individual . However ,there will be  a quarterly feedback of reoccurring themes to management with no individuals mentioned . 
 

Questions You Should Ask Any Potential Supervisor

Choosing a supervisor is important.

Here are some questions I would encourage any therapist to ask.

About qualifications

What supervision training have you completed?
Are you qualified specifically in supervision?
What professional memberships do you hold?
About experience

What client groups do you work with?
Do you understand my way of working?
Have you supervised students before?
Have you supervised experienced therapists?
What industry experience do you have ?
About supervision

What supervision model do you use?
How do you balance support with challenge?
What happens if we disagree?
How do you give feedback?
About ethics

How do you manage confidentiality?
What happens if there is a safeguarding concern?
How do you manage fitness to practise concerns?( 1. Explore concern openly, 2. Assess impact on client work . 3. Develop forward plan together 4. Monitor and review . 5. Protect clients even if confidentiality needs to be breached )eg of this is burnout , substance misuse, poor record keeping, failing to engage in supervision , ethical misconduct 
About practicalities

What are your fees?
What is your cancellation policy?
Can supervision be online?
How often would you recommend supervision?
 

Questions You Might Want to Ask Me

If you were considering me as your supervisor, you might ask:

What is your counselling background?
What theoretical approaches do you use?
What experience do you have with my client group?
How do you support students?
How do you work with qualified counsellors?
What happens if I feel stuck with a client?
How do you help with ethical dilemmas? Work through together , never a quick fix 
How do you challenge safely? ( foster awareness of supervisee and be curious )
How do you manage power within supervision?
How do you ensure supervision remains collaborative? By discussion curiosity and knowing you never have all the answers 
How do you support self-care and burnout prevention? Calling it out when noticed in a kind way 
How do you encourage professional growth?
I'd welcome every one of those questions because supervision should always be transparent.

For me, supervision is one of the greatest protective factors we have as therapists.

It protects:

our clients
our professional standards
our wellbeing
and our passion for the work.
I hope that if we work together you'll leave each supervision session feeling clearer, more confident and more connected to yourself as a practitioner. I also believe that supervision is an arena for kind challenge and occasional discomfort while examining various aspects of working and personal dilemmas.