For counsellors in the first years of practice

Many counsellors expect things to feel clearer once placement is finished, you have your testamur in hand and you’re finally working with people.

Sometimes you do.

But the next stage often brings a different kind of pressure. You may be working in an agency, school, community service, private practice or a role where counselling is only one part of what you do. You may be navigating workplace expectations, policies, referral pathways, clinical notes, risk frameworks, client complexity and organisational systems.

And then there is the internal work.

The session you keep replaying on the drive home.
The client you worry about after hours.
The moment you wonder whether you missed something important.
The feeling that you need to look confident when you are still sorting through what is happening.
The experience of people trusting you with their stories while you’re wondering how you can support them.

That does not mean you are doing anything wrong. It means the work is real.

Good supervision gives you a place to think about it properly.

This group may be for you if

This group is designed for counsellors who have qualified and are now in the first year or two of professional practice.

You might recognise yourself here:

• You care deeply about doing good work, but often wonder whether you are doing enough.

• You sometimes feel confident in session, then question everything afterwards.

• You are consolidating your skills in case formulation, treatment planning and clinical decision-making.

• You are learning how to work with risk, scope of practice, referrals, documentation and ethical responsibilities.

• You feel the weight of client stories and want to develop sustainable ways of carrying the work.

• You are working out your therapeutic style and how to trust your own judgement.

• You are navigating systems that can sometimes feel confusing, under-resourced or contradictory.

• You want support that is warm, honest and useful, not vague reassurance.

• You want to learn with other counsellors who are asking similar questions.

You do not need to have a perfect case presentation. You do not need to sound impressive. You do not need to know the answer before you speak.

You just need to bring the work honestly.

What we focus on

Early career supervision needs to do more than answer isolated case questions. It needs to help you build the structures that support safe, ethical and sustainable practice.

In this group, we may explore:

Clinical judgement and confidence

Developing your capacity to think clearly about client presentations, case formulation, goals, interventions, risk, endings and next steps.

Professional identity

Finding your voice as a counsellor, including your values, strengths, limits, therapeutic style and preferred ways of working.

Ethics, scope and boundaries

Thinking through confidentiality, documentation, dual relationships, referral, duty of care, client contact between sessions, workplace expectations and the edges of your role.

Use of self

Noticing what happens in you during the work, including anxiety, protectiveness, frustration, uncertainty, over-responsibility, avoidance, rescue impulses or fear of getting it wrong.

Systems and workplace realities

Making sense of the broader context around the client, including families, organisations, services, policies, power dynamics, risk processes and referral pathways.

Sustainability in the work

Building practices that help you stay well enough to keep doing the work, including reflective habits, emotional regulation, boundaries, support systems and realistic expectations of yourself.

Why group supervision helps

The first years of practice can feel lonely, especially when it seems as though everyone else knows what they are doing.

Group supervision helps because it brings you into contact with other counsellors who are also thinking, learning, questioning and strengthening their practice.

You hear how others approach similar dilemmas. You notice different ways of formulating a case. You learn from the questions other people ask. You realise that uncertainty is not a private failing. It is often part of careful practice.

A good supervision group becomes more than a collection of individual practitioners. It becomes a reflective professional space where each person’s learning supports the learning of the whole group.

Is this group right for me?

This group may be a good fit if you want a supervision space where you can:

• bring real (de-identified) client questions;

• strengthen your clinical reasoning;

• reflect on yourself as the practitioner;

• think through ethical and professional responsibilities;

• feel less alone in the early years of practice;

• learn from other counsellors at a similar stage;

• build confidence without pretending;

• develop a sustainable relationship with the work.

It is especially suited to counsellors who have completed placement, have qualified and are now working in their first year or two of practice.

Experienced supervisors

This group is facilitated by supervisors who have themselves been in your position and are experienced in supporting early-career counsellors and psychotherapists.

Format

Online small-group supervision
4 x 90-minute sessions
Capped at 6 participants
For counsellors and psychotherapists across Australia

Fee

$399 per person for a block of 4 x 90-minute sessions, including GST (equivalent to $66.50 per hour)

Dates

TBA

We are currently finalising the supervisor and schedule for this specialist supervision group. Expressions of interest are now open, with the first group expected to commence in October 2026. Register your interest and we'll let you know as soon as dates and the facilitator are confirmed.