The practice of Chinese medicine makes many demands on practitioners. In our work we form important, and often long lasting, relationships with our clients. We also become researchers of technical literature and diagnosticians. Every time we see a client we make extensive treatment plans. On a wider scale, we learn to work with other therapists and health professionals in a variety of different settings: hospitals, clinics, multi-beds, multi-disciplinary centres, or in the quiet and relative isolation of our own homes. Some of us work very long hours, with very ill clients or with the bereaved or the dying. We often work in isolation and without the support we need.

Supervision and mentoring can offer support and a place to reflect and explore practice and associated work issues. In this way we are able to maintain a higher quality of work. As members of the British Acupuncture Council and the Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine we have a responsibility to the public, to the colleagues in our profession and to ourselves, to get the support we need and to maintain as high a standard of work as possible.

Isobel Cosgrove has been pioneering professional development for health practitioners, and more specifically supervision for acupuncturists, since 1989. She has run UK supervision groups for 30 years and also offers 1:1 mentoring.

Practitioners can decide, in the context of their own working lives, which kind of support they prefer. A new practitioner may need a 1:1 session every month or so to help with practice development. Later, having a support network becomes important. Joining a small group of practitioners working on practice and clinical issues can then be more useful and satisfying. We all learn from each other’s perspectives and insights.

Isobel initiated a programme to train acupuncturists in supervisory and group leadership skills in 1998 with the intention of establishing a national network of skilled supervision group facilitators and mentors.

Ten years later Sally Blades joined her, and they jointly led the Trainings for the next decade. In the last few years Sally has taken the lead, as Isobel stepped back to work as part of the training team.

During four weekends, practitioners examine issues such as confidentiality, aspects of the patient/practitioner relationship, contracts, boundaries, time and money management and the prevention of burnout. They take part in a supervision group and gain experience of facilitating. They can then take these skills out into the profession and extend the network of practitioner support, thus contributing to the maintenance of professional standards.

If you are interested in joining a Training please contact Sally Blades:

sally@sallyblades.co.uk or call 07896 369885.