Supervision and Leadership

I’ve had debates with friends whether a supervisor is above, beside, or beneath a supervisee, and it really got me thinking. This is relevant to the therapeutic relationship with a client.

Let’s break this down.

I am not an elf (unfortunately): I have not lived 3 and 4 lifetimes. I am still working on my first! So I don’t have all of life’s answers.

I am not an OP sorcerer who can one shot any challenge you face in life.

Think of me more like your supporting white mage. I am not above you, pulling you up to

achieve your goals. I am also not really beside you, struggling along the way. Don’t get me wrong, I still definitely struggle and am still with you. But I am actually beneath you, lifting you up and supporting you along the way. Encouraging you to still use your own strength and skills so they develop, but able to give you that little boost of mana or health right when you need it.

Think about it this way:

In God of War, when Kratos and Atreus come up to a wall that is too high to climb alone, does Kratos just jump up and expect Atreus to climb up on his own and figure it out? No. Does he jump up and pull Atreus up? No. Kratos stays on the ground and gives Atreus a boost so he can get the support and height he needs to climb up using his own strength. Then, Kratos accepts help from Atreus to climb the rest of the way up.

It often feels like there is this power differential or hierarchy between therapists/supervisors and their clients or supervisees. Like we are the all knowing all powerful one. We’re not. If we try to pull you up just using our strength, we’ll throw our backs out then we’re all out of luck. We are your supporting character, here to help guide you on your quest and support you so you don’t fall into the river, and give you those boosts when you encounter boss battles.