APSE: Scottish Regional Meeting 22 January 2021

Once again, we met by Zoom due to lockdown restrictions. However, one positive aspect of this was that it was then possible for us to be joined by the Southeast of England group. It was good to meet and share with people from the opposite end of the country.

We had presentations from six panellists, three from Scotland and three from the Southeast, giving insights on their journey into supervision/APSE.

Blair, from the north of Scotland, has been involved in pastoral supervision for many years as a hospital chaplain and in APSE since its formation in 2008. APSE grew out of discussions on the future of Clinical Pastoral Education in Scotland. Around the same time, Blair noted that chaplaincy became theologically neutral and the formation of APSE was an opportunity to engage with theological aspects of supervision. For Blair, an important question in supervision is, ‘What really matters to you?’ as he aims to intentionally embrace the whole person. He commented that the diversity of Healthcare Chaplaincy, and Supervision, is not reflected in the membership of APSE.

Julie, from Sussex, on the other hand, is relatively new to pastoral supervision and joined APSE within the last 2 years. She ‘stumbled’ into pastoral supervision through spiritual direction after hearing Tricia McIlroy speak of her ‘heart for leaders’ which resonated with Julie. She noted that her spiritual direction training gave her transferable skills. As she gains an experience and moves forward in pastoral supervision she would like to develop working with groups and creative approaches to supervision.

We then heard from Ian, from Glasgow in Scotland. Ian couldn’t be with us in person but provided a video focusing on four aspects of pastoral supervision in Scotland through the lens of the Crowded House single, Four Seasons in One Day. His four seasons are:

• Pastoral supervision is a growing discipline Scotland, and perhaps particularly within the Church of Scotland where it is offered, via the Ascend website, to those involved in ministry, alongside opportunities for counselling, spiritual direction, or coaching, enabling them to give the best of themselves.
• Pastoral Supervision is also offered through Presbyteries[1], in particular Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Dunfermline. Supervisors within the Presbyteries come from a range of backgrounds and offer supervision to groups as well as individuals.
• There are a growing number of supervisors in Scotland offering individual supervision through their own private practice.
• In addition, some practitioners offer training.

Ian concluded by saying that the weather is changeable, continually shifting in our small country, but we embrace richness. Continuing the ‘Crowded House’ metaphor, he noted that pastoral supervision is about space – holding it, and helping clients to use it.

Our fourth panellist was Sarah from Essex who felt that, rather than seeking out pastoral supervision and APSE, she was drawn to it. In her role in leadership development, she was looking for something to enable transformative conversation and in 2014, on a five-day course at Wesley House, found something which was life-changing. She is now Director of Well-Being for the Salvation Army. In the past year she has offered 210 sessions to 80 people and finds that issues of resilience and transition come up time and time again. For her, supervision is allowing God to have the space to speak to us in transformative ways.

We then returned to Scotland where Lisa told us of her heart for supporting people in their work which drew her into pastoral supervision, moving from a task-based culture to values-based practice. Lisa offers both group and individual supervision but has found that group supervision has developed during the pandemic. In one group, she noted that to begin with she had to work hard to facilitate it but now feels she simply holds the space as the members have become comfortable with supervision and are taking ownership.

Our last panellist was Maureen from East Sussex, a counsellor and supervisor from 1993 – 2016, who found that many of her clients were church leaders in crisis. They felt isolated and unsupported but were working at the sharp end of human pain. She heard of APSE through David Lyall whom she met through his interest in her work. She is now involved with Saint Luke’s, a charity which exists to assist clergy well-being, she supervises groups, and is also involved in training. She noted that the challenge is to persuade people that pastoral supervision isn’t for those with problems.

The panel was rich with experience and it was interesting to hear of the different routes into pastoral supervision and into APSE. What was clear from the presentations was that pastoral supervision is becoming increasingly popular and valuable, and this is becoming ever more recognised by official bodies such as the various denominations and para-church organisations.

[1] Church of Scotland governance is delivered through regional groups of ministers and elders from every congregation within each region. These groups are called Presbyteries, hence “Presbyterian”.