Overview
Many organisations require individuals, groups or teams of employees to have regular support or supervision. These sessions can be put in place for a range of reasons. Usually, this support is to ensure that there is access to an independent professional who will help staff to explore in confidence the impact of their work personally and professionally.
The sessions can help to identify if any other help or support is required and can facilitate the learning of additional coping strategies for wellbeing and management. Sessions can work effectively for teams, individuals or a mixture of both. These sessions may be called: Wellbeing Interviews, Supervision, Mandatory Consultations, Workplace Consultations or Professional Coaching/Therapy.
It is important that each organisation, department or work area uses a name that reflects, as much as possible, the function of the sessions. Each will have its own particular culture and for the sessions to be most effective they should be positioned clearly.
From the outset, the individual receiving the support should know if this is mandatory or voluntary. Clarity around the confidentiality and reporting requirements are key areas and might trigger concerns. The duration and interval of the sessions need to be considered as this will vary depending on the nature of the work being carried out and if there are any specific instances or variations in workload that require additional sessions.
