Continuing professional development challenges other people are having , and to consider solutions . I think the group and the session structure focuses attention and purpose and enables positive outcomes .’
Participants also felt that performing in the varying roles in the groups had value , not only to facilitate performance within the group but also to wider practice .
Another said : ‘ I think the observer role helps me understand what is being said and how to pick upon issues that are really relevant to a person – cut to the essence of the reflection . It ’ s about honing listening and observation skills to enhance practice .’
Finally , another concluded : ‘ I am pleased that I have started to take on the role of facilitator and I think as I get more confident , the new skills will enable me to be a more effective supervisor and colleague .’
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I am pleased that I have started to take on the role of facilitator and I think as I get more confident , the new skills will enable me to be a more effective supervisor and colleague .”
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Words TONI TAYLOR , occupational therapist , and NICK CHILVERS , occupational therapist , Lincolnshire County Council
Reflections from the project managers
COVID-19 and the need for virtual working provided an opportunity to consider the Microsoft Teams platform as an appropriate format for peer group supervision that may otherwise have been overlooked .
This provided not only time and travel benefits , but the opportunity to build networks of support across the whole service .
Engaging in the role of facilitator enabled participants to develop key skills that are beneficial to their clinical practice . There were varying degrees of confidence in this role , with the skills learnt through role modelling and experiential learning . While this was embraced by some participants , it was acknowledged that the expectation to perform in the role of facilitator created a barrier to learning and engagement for some participants .
There are also limitations to being able to develop skills in this way and it is acknowledged that one of the project managers has post-graduate training that provided grounding to the role of the facilitator that the participants did not .
Without further training , it is a more appropriate expectation that the participants will engage in co-facilitation , alongside someone with appropriate additional training , rather than facilitate independently .
In addition to this , it would be best if participants were from different teams to help keep the group focused on its purpose and reduce the potential for distraction .
Networks of support appear to have been achieved very quickly in the pilot and so if a service is considering this type of supervision structure , it would be worth considering strategies to enable ongoing rotation of participants to enable networks to be further expanded ; balancing the need for time to build rapport .
January 2022 OTnews 41