Supervision

The seven-eyed model lays out the perspectives we must hold in supervision - the client's world, the therapist's interventions, the relationship between them, the therapist's inner experience, the supervisory relationship itself, and the supervisor's interiority. A series of concentric circles mapping the terrain. And, if I've learned anything, the most vital work happens in the spaces between those delineated realms. The ellipses where identities blur and collapse, roles come unmeared, and power dynamics pulse. When you recount your client's narrative, I hear more than just the story's content. I'm attending to the elliptic spaces where their words disrupted your received roles and cultural scripts. The fissures that opened between you at that moment are portals to the unconscious of the historied self and others. As you speak, I try to hold multiple perspectives to see simultaneously into your client's world, your interventions, your relationship's co-constructed realities, and your roiling interiority. But I also seek the disruptions, the points where those ordered categories ruptured and something else emerged in the heat of your encounter, for it's in those elliptic spaces that our work exceeds its boundaries. It's where we meet as renegotiated subjectivities, haunted by the cultural ghosts and mythologies we've ingested. The therapeutic third, that relational analytic unfolding, spirals out from those vertiginous planes of mutual recognition and undoing.

In supervision, we aim to create openings into those ellipses you travelled through. We must resist the "myth of sameness" that can lull us into imaginings of neutrality or innocuous roles. Instead, I want us to bring the whole anthropological density of our identities and worlds into the space between us, that charged hyphen where our stories arc and collide. Only then can we bear witness to the dynamics at play - to heal, unsettle, and re-encounter one another into new becomings. Only in the unmapped territories of the ellipsis can we map the furthest reaches of our intersubjective terrains.

Group Facilitation

In group settings, we often see a reflection of our deeper, collective psychology at work. Like a psychotherapist, the facilitator guides the group through its conscious and unconscious dynamics. Their role is to help the group understand its stated goals and the hidden emotions and conflicts that influence its behaviour. Looking closely at group interactions, we see multiple layers of meaning. On the surface, there are agendas and objectives. Beneath this lie unspoken fears, desires, and tensions that shape the group's behaviour. The facilitator's job is to work with these visible and hidden aspects.

Neurodivergent individuals in the group often play a crucial role. Their unique ways of thinking and perceiving can illuminate group dynamics that others might overlook. Initially, the group might resist these different perspectives, like we sometimes resist confronting uncomfortable truths about ourselves. However, embracing these diverse viewpoints can lead to significant breakthroughs and growth. Cultural diversity adds another layer of complexity. Each member brings their cultural background, values, and experiences to the group. These artistic influences shape how individuals interact and what they consider acceptable or taboo. The facilitator must know these cultural dynamics and help the group navigate them constructively. Intersectionality – how different aspects of identity (like race, gender, neurodiversity, or social class) interact – creates a complex web of experiences within the group. Each point where these identities intersect can create tension and a powerful opportunity for new understanding and creativity.

The facilitator's main task is to create a safe, supportive environment where the group can explore these complex dynamics. This environment should be strong enough to handle difficult emotions and flexible enough to accommodate diverse ways of thinking and communicating. Facilitation techniques take on deeper meanings in this context. For example, arranging seats in a circle can symbolise the group's journey towards wholeness. Setting time limits for activities helps create a sense of security. Using various communication methods (visual, verbal, hands-on) acknowledges and respects different ways of processing information. As the group develops, it goes through stages similar to individual psychological growth. Like a supportive parent, the facilitator must adapt to the group's changing needs. They help the group move from seeing things in black and white (all good or all bad) to a more nuanced, integrated understanding. This approach to facilitation aims to help the group become more than the sum of its parts. It aims to create a space where different perspectives, cultures, and ways of thinking can lead to new, shared understandings. By embracing this approach, we tap into the transformative potential of group work. We create an environment where diverse experiences can combine to produce collective wisdom. The group achieves its practical goals through this process and becomes a model for a more inclusive and empathetic society. 

Reference
Siddique, S. (2017). Ellipses: Cultural reflexivity in transactional analysis supervision. Transactional Analysis Journal, 47(2), 152-166.
Siddique, S. (2011). Being in-between: The relevance of ethnography and auto-ethnography for psychotherapy research. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 11(4), 310-316.