The Global Supervisors’ Network (GSN) is unique. It is the first, free, participative network for supervisors across the world who are working in coaching, mentoring and consultancy to provide each other with, and receive, Continuing Personal and Professional Development virtually. It also supports research in the field of supervision, and has working groups for example in internal supervision, research, supervision of supervision and in supervision and the climate and ecological emergency . While it collaborates with all the coaching, mentoring and supervision professional bodies, it is not affiliated to any one body.
It was set up by Eve Turner in early 2016 and the criteria for joining are that members are qualified and experienced supervisors of coaches, mentors and/or consultants. There are webinars at least monthly, where 240 members from around the world provide each other with excellent learning opportunities on a range of diverse subjects broadly related to supervision and/or personal development. Recordings and other materials, such as slides, are made available for members of the network. This is all done at no cost to members to join or attend the webinars with the sole aim of supporting best practice.
GNS members include supervisors working in countries such as India, the USA, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Kenya, China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, India, Oman and Turkey, as well as throughout Europe such as Spain, Poland, Portugal, France, Finland, Hungary, Germany, Austria, The Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Switzerland and the UK. The GSN has established a community that brings together some of the leading thinkers in the field. To date there have been 140+ webinars.
In March 2020, as the Covid-19 pandemic spread further around the world, causing lockdowns in multiple countries, the GSN started running special sessions on “Supervision and the Coronavirus” looking at supervising at a time of crisis. Fortnightly sessions to share ideas and provide mutual support were arranged and held twice monthly up to cover global time zones, up to December 2020.
Members can also choose to be involved in working groups and research projects and they have participated in research on ethics, contracting, the role generational differences may play in supervision, dealing with bereavement in coaching and supervision and supervision of supervision (led by Julia Menaul). The pioneering research into supervision of supervision began in Autumn 2017 and initial findings were reported in the AC’s Global Perspectives magazine, pages 39-41, in late 2017 and at the EMCC research conference in 2018.
Three more working groups were set up in 2020. The first is on ‘Supervision and Reflective Practice In The Face of a Climate and Ecological Emergency’ and has a core team of Hellen Hettinga, Anna Casas, Andra Morosi, Rebecca Stevens, Colin Wilson and Dr Alison Whybrow. There is a group looking at supervising internal coaches, co-led by Cheryl Cooper and Jenny Mitchell and the most recent, a working group that will actively support research into supervision, co-led by Dr Colleen Harding and Dr Michel Moral and with sub-groups looking at different resaerch topics such as the impact and benefits of suieprvisoin, and ethical practice. Members are also involved in running aspects of the GSN, including an active Content group with members Anne Calleja, Elspeth Campbell, Veronica Wantenaar, Fiona Benton and Eve Turner, setting up sessions. There is also a coordinating group which includes Jane Cox, Hellen Hettinga and Colleen Harding.
Publications and conference presentations have involved members such as Michel, Moral, Jo Birch, Carole Whitaker, Kristina Crabbe, Peter Hawkins, Damian Goldvarg and Eve Turner. This includes a chapter written by Michel Moral and Eve Turner on supervision of supervision in a 2019 EMCC book on supervision edited by Jo Birch and Peter Welch. Jo Birch has also written an article for Coaching Today (October 2020) based on her experience of supervision of supervision, through a GSN research group.
Members also discussed the state of coaching supervision globally in two sessions in December 2018, chaired by Professor Peter Hawkins. The results were written up by members Carol Whitaker and Kristina Crabbe: Whitaker, C. and Crabbe, K. (2019). The global challenges of coaching supervision, in Coaching at Work Vol 14 (2), pp13-16. They were also the subject of a conference presentation in May 2019 with Carol, Kristina and Peter Hawkins at the 8th international coaching supervision conference held at Oxford Brookes University.
The Global Supervisors’ Network is also proud to have offered to partner with EthicalCoach, the philanthropic arm of WBECS, to support aspiring coaches in Africa with supervision. Following coach training for the coaches by Professor David Clutterbuck, GSN members have given their time, voluntarily, to supervise the coaches since spring 2018. The aim of this phase of EthicalCoach is to support NGO leaders from Ethiopian non-government/civil society organizations committed to tackling humanitarian and environmental challenges, so aiming to transform the lives of children and families in need. More details of the initiative can be found on the EthicalCoach website.
Please contact Eve Turner ([email protected]) or the Administrator to the GSN, Fiona Benton ([email protected]uk) for more details on the GSN. Virtual sessions are held at both 1900 on Thursdays and 0800 on Fridays (UK time) to accomodate time zones, at least monthly.
