VIEWS & OPINION


Supporting staff wellbeing with reflective supervision


Comment by TRACY GODFROY, Senior Child Psychotherapist, Clinical Supervisor and Trainer at Trauma Informed Schools UK (TISUK)


The latest results from the Teacher Wellbeing Index, November 2022, show that without decisive action, the government risks the continuing acceleration of current trends in schools - ever increasing levels of burn-out, a worsening retention and


recruitment crisis, and poorer health outcomes for the education workforce.


The statistics are


shocking, with 78% of staff reporting ‘mental health symptoms due to their work’, and 59% having considered ‘leaving the sector in the past academic year due to pressures on their mental health and wellbeing’. The legacy of the pandemic combined with a cost- of-living crisis, environmental concern, political conflict and war, are pressing heavily on the physical and mental health of children and adults alike.


Increases in stress related illness, secondary trauma and anxiety, lead to professional burnout, with physical as well as psychological effects. Research indicates a correlation between emotional suppression and chronic illness such as cardiovascular disease and cancer – toxic stress can be a killer.


Other professionals who deal with high levels of trauma, such as the NHS, police and emergency services, often have access to forms of reflective supervision. Teaching is an intensely relational, emotionally charged profession, often with extreme highs and lows, and more and more it has become a front-line mental health service for many children and young people. We should recognise that it is essential to support our teachers, leaders and staff in schools and address their needs, so they can provide the best for their students. Reflective supervision can provide cost-effective support for staff wellbeing as part of a school-wide trauma informed (TI) approach. It is not a ‘magic’ cure-all, but it is a powerful component in the wellbeing toolbox. It is an empathic, non-judgemental, safe and confidential process, a reflective space in which staff can be mutually supported with the help of a trained facilitator. In an ideal world, the facilitator would be a therapeutically trained, regular visitor, however that is presently an unattainable goal. Instead, the headteacher or members of the senior leadership team (SLT) receive external reflective supervision and are then trained to facilitate sessions for their staff members, providing a structure, boundaries (within the reflective space) and support and guidance to the group.


Reflective supervision is not task-based, it often has little to do directly with attainment, it is not a judgement of success or failure. Nor is it a therapy group, but it is therapeutic in essence. Teachers and support staff often automatically default to a ‘problem solving mode’, however, these sessions are wholly about reflecting on practise, with a focus on the underlying emotional processes rather


January 2023 than the cognitive self.


The process is designed to be supportive to the members of the group and respectful of everyone in the room, as well as the children


under discussion, their parents and other professionals involved. It is purposeful and focussed on finding ways to support staff to best serve the children and young people they work with. Discussions within the group are viewed as confidential – unless of course there are safe-guarding concerns.


The facilitator’s role is to develop a trusting alliance within the group, organise the space and provide boundaries and structure to the process. Everyone has the opportunity to think and reflect, enhance skills and most importantly, feel supported. We all recognise that working with children and young people is powerfully relational and can sometimes be hard and emotionally challenging.


All the participants commit to group agreements, for example - to be present, active members of the group, to be punctual etc. Sessions are scheduled regularly – perhaps half-termly, with the group meeting for an hour, ideally without interruption – which in itself can be difficult in a school environment. Based on the ‘Goldfish Bowl’ model, one person speaks, uninterrupted, processing the challenges or situations they have experienced, whilst the other members are active listeners, attuned to what the speaker is sharing. Once the speaker has finished, they offer their observations and perspectives, sharing their views, opinions and reflections. The speaker then responds to the group’s feedback.


The final piece is a creative group discussion. Often very meaningful conversation will come out of this part of the process. When the richness of knowledge and the wide variety of professional and personal experience from within the group is harnessed, it is a very powerful tool.


The reflective supervision process, mirrors the TI approach taken with students, modelling effective, attentive, empathic practice. Through experiencing the process, the staff can then replicate it with the children and young people they work with. The discussion is based around the TI model which underpins all TISUK training – Protect, Regulate, Relate, Reflect and Repair (PRRRR). Discussions may centre on enhancing the ‘Protect’ for a particular child; or exploring the quality of the relationship, finding new ways to build connections and ‘Relate’, and come alongside that child to support them further.


It also provides a space for reflection on how we as adults emotionally regulate, when dealing with challenging behaviour or a dysregulated or withdrawn child. Being unable to connect with a child can be extremely frustrating, dealing with outbursts is emotionally draining. If we have the space and time to reflect and be cognisant of the impact of these relationships, we can take better care of ourselves, and in doing so be better prepared and capable to look after our students.


Apart from the personal costs to staff, the financial costs of mental ill-health to schools - prolonged absence, cover and the overall exodus from the profession - is huge compared to providing training, space and time to implement reflective provision. Isn’t it time to make staff wellbeing a priority?


www.education-today.co.uk 23


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