Setting the right Group Supervision environment

I've been busy, writing a book and editing another, so I've ignored my blog. But I want to get back to it. Supervision is one of the most important parts of spiritual direction. And one of the most challenging.

Creating the Right Environment
One of the biggest issues is how to create a community environment conducive to effective supervision. I believe that how well you do this will make or break your supervision process. It's vital for a successful program.

Questions you can ask yourself
These questions can help you identify how well you've created this environment.

1. At the end of the session, does the presenter feel blessed by or thankful for the experience or does she/he feel uncomfortable or upset in some way?
2. Do the other participants feel comfortable and humble, or self-righteous?
3. Did the session help the presenter to be open and honest, even with difficult or self-revelatory subjects, or set him or her on the defensive?
   

Your answers will clarify both positive and harmful aspects of your supervision process. (Granted, they will also identify the places your presenters are self-protective.)

Learn to be loving so presenters can be open
Your job as supervisor is to help the presenter learn how to be more open. He or she will want to do that if you create an environment with freedom to admit mistakes, where supervisors accept and love the presenter while gently urging them to grow and expand.

It's a delicate balance, but well worth the effort. Only through love will your supervision process get better. For more information, see my new Supervision Handbook on my website, www.spiritual-exercises.com.

Hope your new year is wonderful.

How to Chose a Session for Supervision

"So what do you hope to gain from this supervision session?" I asked.

The director answered, "I'm not sure. I brought this paper because it was my turn to be supervised."

I think one of the hardest aspects of supervision is trying to understand just why we are bringing that particular conversation or incident to the process. Yet it is one of the most important questions to answer. Why? Because there is something important about that event that touched us or confused us, or brought us to our knees before God. And the important thing for group supervision - or any supervision - is for the presenter to figure out just what he or she wants from the group.

Once that is established, then supervision works so much better.

So how do you chose your reason? There are several ways.
Consider a particular direction session.

• Were there any significant moments where God felt more present?
• At any time did your emotions not match the situation - either too much or too littl
• Where did you experience great emotion, whether positive or negative?
• Are there any places where you felt confused, out of place, or uncomfortable?
• Did you feel particularly energized or enthused at any point?
• Were there any ah-ha! moments you would like to celebrate?

After you've considered such questions, chose the session that seems most noteworthy and write about that.

Community Models that Influence Supervision

You feel threatened, so you act to protect yourself. It's natural. Each one of us has learned how to protect our egos. But sometimes, those automatic responses can interfere with our spiritual direction and hearing God speak.

Yes, defenses protect ego but avoid depth. Defenses can also prevent us from answering God's invitation to explore it.

Enter Supervision! It helps us to uncover our hidden agendas and actions. Supervision reveals our un-free spaces that can interfere in our direction.
So your group wants to practice group supervision?

To promote freedom for inner work, a group must understand and define the values under which it will conduct meetings. A group must consciously develop a method of interacting that will promote God-centered, creative openness. There are two models of behavior that groups generally fall into.

•Model 1 binds behavior and diminishes freedom. In this model, people can feel hurt, attacked, or not validated. Participants can become closed and fearful of other’s opinions. Model 1 behavior often dismisses or avoids the grace of conversion.

In Model 2, God’s Spirit brings to light what is hidden so that we can make free, co-creative choices which lead us into graced and lasting relationships with God and all creation.

For effective supervision, a group must focus on and practice Model 2 Values.

I'll talk more about these models in future postings.

Taking the Exercises to the World: Supervision

Taking the Exercises to the World: Supervision
spiritual-exercises.com

Supervision

A few weeks ago, when directors of our Spiritual Exercises group participated in supervision, the presenter had been struggling with over-directing her retreatant. We listened to her presentation and challenged her, affirmed her, and prayed with her. By the end of the hour-long session, she said, "I came here with a nervous stomach, a bit concerned about the process - as usual - because it is so revealing. But wow, God sure worked through this. I'm feeling much better about letting go of my own objectives and allowing God to work through me."

THE POINT OF SUPERVISION
Supervision is a process that was extracted from the psychological community. It helps directors look inward. Supervision is vital for every spiritual director (whether new or experienced) because it provides a way in which the director can uncover and explore prayerfully any personality traits or issues that might interfere with direction. It also provides a means to explore grace filled moments so that we can rejoice in the times we recognize and experience God's grace.

INNER MOVEMENTS
Supervision deals with the inner movements of director - not the directed. The director and supervisor contemplatively listen together to God and what has been going on what is inside the directee while he/she is listening to another. In supervision we take time to notice and savor our affect. During supervision, both supervised and supervisors explore where God seems present and where God seems absent.

EFFECTS OF SUPERVISION
Supervision has many benefits. Here are just a few.

• Softens the heart of the supervisee so that he or she is more open to God, to self, and to the directee.
• Enables the director to expand in inner freedom and become more transparent
• Improves a director's ability to concentrate on the movements within the directee
• develops self-awareness and listening skills
• Enables the director to become more God-centered

YOUR OPINION COUNTS - TELL US WHAT YOU THINK
I'd like to hear from you about your supervising experience (or lack of it). To get you started, I'm proposing several questions on the subject (but you can comment on anything).

1. Do you provide supervision for your group? If so, is it individual or group?
2. What works in your supervision? What do you struggle with?
3. What kind of training, if any, do you have in supervision ?
4. What instructional materials on supervision have you found helpful? What is lacking?
5. What would you like to see discussed on this blog?

I'm looking forward to hearing from you.

The Blog Begins

Welcome to Taking the Exercises to the World Blog!

I've been thinking for a long time that this website needs a place where people who are involved in the Exercises can ask questions, discuss issues, and talk to one another. So here it is - the Spiritual Exercises Blogspot. I hope you will ask questions and become involved.

It seems to me that the Spirit is moving and using the Exercises to touch people all over the world. I have been in contact with a woman in Croatia who is providing the Sprititual Exercises for over 800 people! In Oregon, a Franciscan priest is providing the Exercises for his parish, and it is renewing and renovating the congregation in amazing ways.

I believe that the Exercises can change the world, and I thank the Jesuits for providing this gift to the laity and to the broader Church. It is truly an amazing gift.

Let me know your thoughts on this. I'm looking forward to hearing from you.

Ellen T.
author of Taking the Exercises to the World (TTETTW)