The Compass of Supervision

Navigating Power, Difference and Identity

A 3 hour experiential CPD workshop for supervisors and practitioners with supervisory responsibility

Practical Details

Date: Friday 9 October 2026
Time: 10.00 am to 1.00 pm
Format: Live online workshop
CPD Hours: 3 hours
Investment: €80
Includes: Participant workbook, experiential and creative exercises, CPD certificate

About This Workshop

Supervision is not a neutral space.

Power, difference, identity, professional authority, lived experience and organisational context are present in every supervisory relationship, whether they are openly discussed or remain largely unspoken.

For supervisors, the challenge is not simply recognising that these dynamics exist. It is knowing how to work with them when they begin to influence the supervisory relationship, clinical judgement, professional decision making or the experience of the client.

The Compass of Supervision is an experiential workshop exploring how power and difference operate within supervision and within the work practitioners bring to supervision.

We will consider the more difficult supervisory territory too: what happens when you notice something concerning, when a supervisee is avoiding an important issue, when assumptions or bias may be influencing practice, when power is being used in ways that may be unhealthy, or when support alone is no longer sufficient.

A central focus of the workshop will be supervisory judgement.

How do you distinguish between difference, discomfort and genuine professional concern? When is curiosity enough? When does something need to be named? When is challenge appropriate? And how can a supervisor exercise legitimate authority without becoming overly certain, controlling or punitive?

Through facilitated dialogue, case exploration, guided exercises and creative practice, participants will have opportunities to examine these questions in a way that is practical, relational and grounded in the realities of supervision.

The aim is not to provide a formula for difficult situations. It is to strengthen your ability to think clearly within complexity, recognise your responsibility and make more considered supervisory decisions.

What We Will Explore

• How power and hierarchy operate within the supervisory relationship
• The influence of identity, lived experience, culture and positionality
• Difference that is spoken about, and difference that remains unspoken
• The relationship between supervisory authority and professional responsibility
• Recognising assumptions, avoidance, bias and potentially unhealthy uses of power
• Power dynamics within supervisees’ clinical and professional work
• Distinguishing discomfort and difference from emerging ethical or professional concern
• Knowing when to enquire, name, challenge or intervene
• Working with disagreement, defensiveness and rupture when difficult material is addressed
• Maintaining relational engagement while also holding professional accountability

What You Will Gain

By the end of the workshop, participants will have strengthened their capacity to:

• recognise how power, identity and difference may be influencing supervision and practice
• notice significant relational and professional dynamics without rushing to interpretation
• distinguish between difference of perspective, personal discomfort and matters requiring supervisory attention
• think more clearly about their authority and responsibility as a supervisor
• raise sensitive or concerning material with greater confidence and precision
• respond more effectively when challenge leads to defensiveness, disagreement or rupture
• make proportionate decisions about when further action, consultation or accountability may be required

The Workshop Experience

This is not a heavily taught webinar.

The workshop will combine short clinical inputs with facilitated discussion, supervisory dilemmas, guided exercises and creative ways of exploring power and position.

Participants will work with a practical Compass of Supervision framework designed to support thinking when power, difference or ethical complexity enters the supervisory space.

You will not be required to disclose personal or clinical material. Any examples brought into discussion should be appropriately anonymised and shared with consideration for professional confidentiality.

Who This Workshop Is For

This workshop is particularly relevant to:

• clinical supervisors
• supervisors working within therapeutic, educational, organisational or helping professions
• psychotherapists, counsellors and coaches with supervisory responsibilities
• experienced practitioners who want to strengthen their understanding of power, difference and responsibility within professional relationships

No specialist knowledge of diversity theory is required. The emphasis is on translating awareness of power and difference into thoughtful supervisory practice.

Preparation

Participants are invited to have:

• a notebook or journal
• a few simple creative materials, such as paper and coloured pens or pencils
• access to a private space where they can participate comfortably
• a willingness to engage with complexity, uncertainty and different perspectives

About Michelle

Michelle Fahy, MIACP, MEAIP, is a qualified psychotherapist, clinical supervisor, coach, trainer and group facilitator with extensive experience across therapeutic, educational and professional settings.

She has over a decade of experience as a clinical supervisor and more than 30 years of professional experience across education, psychotherapy, training and facilitation. Her clinical training encompasses work with children, adolescents and adults, alongside specialist training in clinical supervision, coaching, group work and creative therapeutic practice.

Michelle’s work is relational, trauma informed, neurodivergent affirming and grounded in a strong commitment to ethical responsibility. Her particular interest lies in the places where professional practice becomes less straightforward: difference, power, uncertainty, competing responsibilities and the decisions practitioners and supervisors are required to make within complexity.

Her facilitation combines clinical depth with creative and experiential learning, supporting professionals to develop greater clarity, confidence and judgement in their work.

Booking

Places are limited to support active participation, discussion and experiential work.

Friday 9 October 2026
10.00 am to 1.00 pm
Live Online
€80

🌐 www.dynamicwellbeing.ie
💌 michelle@dynamicwellbeing.ie