The Role of Session Recordings in Supervision
by EFT Supervisor Barry Strmelj
EFT supervision uses audio-visual recordings of actual supervision sessions. This allows for supervision to focus on the actual therapy process with a client. While audio-visual recordings may be employed in other psychotherapy models of supervision, what is distinct about EFT supervision is the focus on the moment to moment experiential process, where brief moments in the session, of seconds or minutes in duration, can be viewed and used to supervise the psychotherapy process.
This process-based form of supervision closely tracks the therapist-client interaction and the experiential process of the client. Having a recording of the actual interaction and experiential process provides the supervisor and supervisee an opportunity to pause the recording and to notice what happens from moment to moment.
There is often so much happening in sessions between us, the therapist, and the client and within the client themselves that we can’t capture and recall it all. Having a recording allows the supervisee to sit back and take in the session anew and revisit key moments.
EFT supervisors observe and respond to the client’s experiential process in the recording based on their perceptual skills, clinical experience and understanding of EFT theory and practice. This is used to guide, support and model the supervisee’s own practice of EFT.
“Having recordings of actual sessions is essential to learning how and when to use EFT interventions and to develop competency in EFT.”
In EFT, interventions are not prescribed in a manualised fashion but are based on the presence of markers in the client’s moment to moment experiential process. Thus, having recordings of actual sessions is essential to learning how and when to use EFT interventions and to develop competency in EFT.
While supervision in EFT is required to achieve certification, not all supervisees will want to or be on the path to certification as an EFT Therapist. Some supervisees aim to improve their practice of relational empathy, attunement and therapeutic presence, and identifying makers and performing EFT tasks.
It is recommended that supervisees have attended at least a Level 1 training in EFT before starting supervision as individual supervision looks at the specific application of EFT to supervisee’s psychotherapeutic practice.
Group supervision can be a good starting place to experience EFT supervision. Like individual supervision it involves the use of audio-visual recordings to supervise the psychotherapy process but this is done in a group environment. Group supervision is capped at six participants to provide a mutually supportive, developmental environment for supervisees to learn from viewing theirs and other participant recordings.
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About the Author – Barry Strmelj
Barry is an internationally certified EFT Therapist, Supervisor, Trainer and registered counselling psychologist working in private practice with individuals and couples. For many years, Barry has been a member of the AIEFT and participated in providing EFT training and supervision.
