Hello Monday, I’ve been expecting you.
Is there anything more delicious than a crystal clear Monday morning in September? It’s the time of year when anything feels possible and the time of day in which a new week is born.
I always feel this way in September in particular. It’s as though ‘normal’ life goes on hold during August, which of course, in a way is true. The beginning of that month it feels good to have days and days ahead of us that are a change from the usual. By the end it feels like I’m holding my breath, waiting for the return of routine and ‘normality’. If you’re a veteran of this newsletter, you’ll have heard me talk about this before.
Practice Supervision
So now we’re here, let me tell you about Practice Supervision and why I’m so passionate about seeing more youth workers doing it.
Practice Supervision is a regular session which allows you, the youth worker, to reflect on your work practice and see how things might be changed or different. It is essential to professional practice, essential to having integrity in the work I know you love to do.
The sessions are collaborative, educational, reflective, and useful. The process of reflective practice is highly valuable in order to be resilient and resourceful. Working with young people is challenging and often exhausting, I used to think that because I loved the work it meant my capacity would expand to meet it. Now I know that because I love the work, I need to balance my work with rest; because I love the work, I need to pay attention to my priorities and ensure I’m not overcommitting myself (very easy to say, less so to actually do!); because I love the work, I have to hold the boundaries that are needed in order for there to be enough of me left for my family and friends.
Image by David D on Pixabay
Support Boat
Practice Supervision is like having a support boat when you’re all at sea. More importantly, it’s knowing how far you can swim, and when the tide is turning and having the right equipment to take into the water with you so that you’re less likely to end up even needing the support boat.
I have space for a small number of new clients this year and your first conversation with me is completely free.
Email me on hello@jenniosborn.org and let’s get down to business.