Amy Lawson
Professional supervision is an approach used in many sectors - such as health, education and social services - to foster reflective practice and support professional practice relationships.
Amy Lawson, a qualified teacher, felt it might be one of her strengths, so she decided to study a Postgraduate Certificate in Professional Supervision at Ara.
“I thought it could be beneficial to the role I’m in,” says Amy, who manages a trust that provides afterschool care and holiday programmes for primary school aged children.
“A lot of my time is spent encouraging and reflecting with our leaders around their skills and the programme. I’ve received professional supervision at various times and found it highly beneficial to my workplace environment and wellbeing.”
The flexibility of the one-year, part-time course suited Amy, who continued to work full-time as she studied.
“I loved the depth of the theory, the face-to-face conversations about the lectures and other content, and having time to devote to practise supervising. We were encouraged to engage with theories and frameworks and to form our own opinions. The tutors had experiential knowledge and were passionate, and they went out of their way to make sure we were supported.”
Amy especially liked practising with fellow classmates where they could give each other feedback. “It was a little nerve racking at first, but it really gave us space to give new things a go and succeed at them.”
She encourages others to do the postgraduate certificate. “It’s such a useful course. It only takes a year and yet it provides you with skills that are helpful in a range of contexts. It encouraged me to step outside my comfort zone, to try things, and it’s helped me relate to others. I’m really glad I did it!”