Sandra McKeever

I offer almost twenty years of experience in the counselling and psychotherapy profession to my supervisees, bringing understanding of the many issues that face our profession and the individuals who work within it.

Although my focus is on supporting the supervisee to work safely and ethically with their clients, I also see my role as supporting supervisees to achieve their own potential within their work. To do this I recognise the importance of the supervisory relationship and offer a safe, nurturing, non judgemental space, allowing supervisees to be open and honest in all the material they bring to these sessions.

The supervisory model I base most of my work on, is the Hawkins and Shohet Seven Eyed model of Supervision, but I also draw on the Inskipp/Procter model that focuses on the 'Normative, Formative, Restorative' functions of supervision. These together allow a holistic overview of the dynamics in supervision, whilst working in the best interests of both client and therapist.

In my own practice I work with person centred theory at the core of my practice, but also work integratively, primarily within the humanistic field, but with an excellent understanding of the transpersonal.

I have considerable experience within the profession and I am able to bring that knowledge and understanding to the supervisory relationship. Not only have I considerable experience of private practice, having ran my own practice for almost twenty years, but I have worked in an FE College with young people and adults, worked in a GP practice, and worked in an agency that specialized in eating disorders and trained with CRUSE bereavement care.

Alongside my client work, I have worked as a counselling trainer delivering all aspects of training, from basic introductory counselling skills, through to Foundation Degree Level. I have also worked for one of the principal awarding bodies, as qualification lead on the qualifying practitioner level qualification, and have worked for professional standards at the BACP.

I have extensive CPD including a post qualifying training in Somatic therapy for PTSD and trauma with Babette Rothschild, and have attended further training with Dr Janine Fisher and Christiane Sanderson, in understanding narcissistic abuse, domestic abuse, working with survivors of child sexual abuse, traumatic attachment, borderline personality disorder and structured disassociation and working with boarding school survivors. I also attend conferences, read widely and continue to write and research. I have written articles and I am one of the authors of a training manual for counselling students.

If you would like to meet with me, the first session is £30 and lasts one hour. It is an introductory space for both of us to explore what it is you want and need from supervision, and for me to evaluate whether I can meet those requirements, and that I am 'good fit' for you and your practice at this time. As with therapy, the relationship is the key to us successfully working together, and both of us need to feel that potential is there.

Should we decide we would like to work together I will take some details and I will also talk through the contract. However, there is no requirement to make a decision immediately, although I cannot keep a place open for more than one week. 

I see my role as a supervisor as to assist therapists in developing their particular skills and abilities in a safe and ethical way, allowing them to offer the best of themselves to their clients. Supervision is a space in which we, as therapists, need to be able to freely off load, explore our own and our clients experiences in a safe, non judgemental space, and to be offered appropriate guidance and support when needed. Supervision is also about monitoring limits of proficiency and monitoring whether we are going beyond our skills and understanding, or possibly not recognising that we are capable of more. 

I aim to bring all of my experience in the profession to these sessions, to share the knowledge and understanding I have, to help my supervisees develop into strong, competent and ethical therapists and ultimately to be a place of support in what at times can be challenging and difficult, but always rewarding, work.

Please note I do not supervise work with children and young people. I only offer supervision to those therapists who work primarily face to face/in the room and not online. 

Mentoring and private tutoring also available.