1. 13th OBU Coaching and Mentoring Research Conference
How coaching supervisees help and hinder their supervision: A Grounded Theory study
13th OBU Coaching and Mentoring Research Conference
Louise Sheppard
January 2017

2. Interest in this topic My early experience of supervision
Curiosity about supervisee and supervisor anxiety
Lack of guidelines from Professional bodies about role of supervisee in supervision
Little empirical evidence or literature about supervisee perspective
Tendency to focus on the role of the supervisor

3. Aims and objectives of the study
Main aim: To explore how coaching supervisees help and hinder their supervision.
Objectives:
Critically analyse the literature
Explore the lived-in experiences of supervisees and the role they play in helping and hindering their coaching supervision.
Use grounded theory to analyse the findings
Generate a theoretical framework

4. Literature review and gaps
1.Coaching Supervision
Models used in coaching supervision
Functions, formats, roles and responsibilities
Formats of coaching supervision
Supervisory relationship
Supervisees’ use of supervision and needs
Supervisee perceived benefits, value and outcomes
Supervisee expectations
Supervisee lived-in experiences
Supervisee negative experiences
Gap 1.Empirical research on the lived-in experiences of coaching supervisees at all levels of professional development
Gap 3. An empirically informed framework with guidelines for how supervisees can hinder and enhance their learning from coaching supervision
What aspects and models of learning theory are recommended for use by supervisees in coaching supervision?
What can we learn about supervisees in general?
How can supervisees enhance and hinder their coaching supervision?
2.Supervisees in the helping professions
3. Adult learning and
reflective practice
Key models used in supervision
Supervisee rights + responsibilities
Supervisory relationship
Supervisee expectations
Power differentials
Supervisee anxiety
Supervisees willingness to self-disclose
Supervisee attributes
Conflicts, ruptures and repairs
What aspects and models of learning theory are recommended for use with supervisees in the helping professions?
Adult learning
Experiential learning
Reflective practice
Professional knowledge
Relevant models and frameworks for reflection
Gap 2. Evidence based data relating to coaching supervisees on the important themes explored in the literature on supervisees in the helping professions

5. Methodology Critical realist theoretical perspective Grounded Theory
19 Semi structured interviews

6. Data gathering process
Time lapse of 12 months
Initial Focus Group
Data gathering phase 6 months
Pilot self
Pilot with supervisor
Interviews with 5 supervisees
6 further interviews with supervisees
3 further interviews with supervisors
Pilot - supervisee
Data analysis
Interviews with 3 supervisors
Theoretical sampling and sensitivity

7. The benefits of coaching supervision Supervisee Inhibitors
Emergent categories
The benefits of coaching supervision
Supervisee Enablers
Supervisee Inhibitors

8. Supervisee inhibitors and enablers
Anxiety, fear of judgment and shame
I’m blocking myself
Lack of agency in supervisees
Not seeing myself as an equal partner
Enhanced
Coaching Supervision
- Learning through supervision
- Valuing supervision
Adopting a positive
mindset
Co-creating the relationship
Participating actively in the process
Undertaking supervisor training
Supervisee enablers

9. Supervisees’ positive emotions

10. Supervisees’ negative emotions

11. Interpretation of the data
Supervisee develop over time – new stages of maturity of supervisees
Underlying mechanisms – our natural tendency to learn, fear and power relations in supervision
Supervision needs to be supervisee-led and supervisees can choose to step into their authority – a framework for supervisee-led supervision
New definition of a supervisee
A coaching supervisee is a coach who actively co-creates an equal, collaborative partnership with another professional coach or therapist (supervisor) in order to share and reflect upon his/her work, gain perspective, learn, develop and resource themselves and ensure that their practice is ethical and effective for clients.

12. A framework for supervisee-led supervision

13. Implications Supervisees Supervisors Professional bodies
Coach training providers
Coach providers
Learning and development professionals and their organisations

14. Personal learning
Experiencing the underlying mechanisms during the study
The challenge of having a critical realist theoretical perspective
Facing my assumptions
The impact on my practice as a supervisee and supervisor
Have learnt how to be a researcher and value research more as a result