Expanding your professional toolbox: The value of FDR group supervision
7.30 am. Hot cup of coffee in hand. It's time to boot up Zoom and get chatting.
Sound familiar? For AMINZ Fellow Rosemarie Brown, that’s exactly what happens (minus the coffee) five times a year. Rosemarie is the facilitator of our Family Dispute Resolution Group Supervision Meetings, a virtual space for both new and seasoned FDR practitioners to meet, discuss and connect.
So, what exactly are these meetings, what do they entail, and if you’re working within FDR, should you be participating?
We recently spoke with Rosemarie to find out a little bit more.
But first…a little background. For those of you who have not yet met Rosemarie, she is an AMINZ Fellow and wears several hats in her professional life. One of these is her work as a family mediator. She’s been in this space since 2007 and began running FDR Group supervision meetings with AMINZ in July 2014.
Rosemarie noted that there are two key components to group supervision:
• Providing an opportunity to raise issues and receive support from fellow practitioners and;
• Ensuring connectivity and knowledge sharing between practitioners nation-wide
Knowing that as an FDR practitioner you have a platform to bring a particular issue, discussion point, or scenario you’ve been grappling with to a group of like-minded individuals for discussion can make the world of difference in your practice.
Supervision meetings are strictly confidential and therefore attendees can come to these meetings knowing that they can discuss whatever may be weighing on their (professional) minds. The floor is open for attendees to discuss, feedback, and support one another - and the value of this sharing knowledge and encouragement between practitioners cannot be understated.
Attendees find these meetings to be a great way to expand their thinking and learn how others working in the same field may react to various scenarios, says Rosemarie.
While every practitioner’s style is different and all approach their work in various ways, taking part in supervision increases everyone’s professional toolboxes. It opens your eyes to different ways of thinking, solutions, and processes. Whether attendees use what they learn or hear at these meetings in their own practice is, of course, entirely up to them. However, simply hearing others’ perspectives on various FDR scenarios can often bring clarity to your own thinking.
The second key benefit of participating in these meetings is the opportunity to get a bi-monthly update on all things FDR. It’s commonplace to feel isolated when working as a mediator so it’s important to stay connected with others who are in the same boat, says Rosemarie.
Alongside a little bit of ‘networking’ time, attendees also benefit from getting the general lay of the land from across New Zealand. The group will share what’s going on in their communities, discuss the wider legal environment, look at where the Courts are at, and identify and discuss if any trends are emerging in family mediation across the country.
With a mix of both city and rural providers joining, the discussions on what practitioners are seeing and hearing in the world of FDR within their towns leads to a fantastic overview of the environment across wider Aotearoa. It’s a great way of staying on top of what’s going on outside of your own practice - and you’ll hear it straight from the horses’ mouths, so to speak, rather than the internet!
So, how are the meetings structured?
Just like mediation, the meetings start with setting an agenda. Rosemarie will ensure anyone who wishes to speak has allocated time to share, and that there is ample time for the group to then ask questions, give comments and provide encouragement on the particular issue raised.
Of course, just because you attend these meetings doesn’t mean you have to share or talk about what’s going on in your professional world. There’s no requirement to divulge so if you’re thinking about attending and simply want to listen and learn you are more than welcome.
How and where do you take part?
The meetings currently run every odd month (except January, because we know you’d probably rather be at the beach) from 7.30 am - 8.30 am. To ensure they are accessible to as many practitioners as possible, they cost $20 (including GST) per session. All you need is access to an internet connection and Zoom and you’re good to go.
Rosemarie has cultivated an environment that is welcoming, supportive, and provides practitioners with a fantastic platform that enhances their day-to-day practice. Whether you’re a brand new practitioner, or you’ve been around the block a few times, supervision meetings will add significant value to what you do and is a requirement of being an FDR provider.
Where to from here?
There has been a recent uptake of interest from AMINZ members in taking part in these meetings. While we currently only run five a year, there is the capacity for more should the demand be there. To ensure a productive and effective session the meetings are currently limited to between 6 to 11 attendees. If we have a number of practitioners who would also like to join, we’ll likely look at opening up more sessions that run in the months between those currently scheduled.
So…does this sound like you? Get in touch with Rosemarie on rosemarie@rosemariebrown.nz for the latest meeting details.
Then, just grab your coffee and we’ll see you at 7.30 am!
