Tracey Wakefield

Category: supervision

  • The impact we make on the work, and the impact the work makes on us.

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    Tracey Wakefield
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    I have a favourite ‘teacher’ from my counselling training days. I say teacher as I feel he would have felt uncomfortable with the term ‘lecturer’. He talked a lot about dismantling uneven power dynamics. He taught two of my favourite papers, Narrative Therapy and Existentialism. He was also supposed to teach the supervision course I…

  • Less ‘side hustle’, more…

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    Tracey Wakefield
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    Now that I’m running my own business alongside my other job, it was only a matter of time before I was asked if it was my ‘side hustle’. And I wasn’t surprised that I rejected the term and went looking for an alternative. It isn’t an aversion to the concept in totality; it just doesn’t…

  • And Naturally, I Thought: Podcast

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    Tracey Wakefield
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    This week, my brain did the thing it likes to do, jump from random thought to random thought, and landed on an idea for a new project. I have lots of project ideas; occasionally, some stick, but many of them remain in folders on the computer or in bags of craft supplies. I’m hoping this…

  • How did that make you feel?

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    Tracey Wakefield
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    As I have been writing reflections and curating content for my website, I have naturally been thinking about, “How would this land for someone like me?” Someone weary of buzzwords, sales pitches, flashy marketing, and the inauthentic use of inclusive language. Someone who thinks they are pretty good at noticing misalignment between words and action.…

  • The Grief Felt in Career Transitions

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    Tracey Wakefield
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    In my counselling practice, grief was almost always part of the picture my clients shared with me. We commonly associate grief with the loss of a loved one, but grief has many forms, and one area I think we don’t talk about enough is the grief experienced with job loss and career transitions. Not just…

  • Living in tension and the in-between places

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    Tracey Wakefield
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    I have lived in the in-between most of my life. My early childhood was chaotic; I experienced what I now feel comfortable labelling as ‘chronic instability’. I have come to realise that this has shaped my relationship with certainty. I have also come to realise that I struggle to see life in black and white.…

  • Letting Someone Else In: The Limits of Self-Supervision 

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    Tracey Wakefield
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    “You seem to do a lot of self-supervision” This is a comment I got from my first clinical supervisor. At the time, I took it as a compliment. Yes, I’m really good at talking to myself, and I’m very smart, an exemplary student counsellor, so self-reliant that I don’t even need help processing my practice.…

  • Waiting Mode

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    Tracey Wakefield
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    My ADHD assessment appointment was pushed out by two weeks due to staff sickness. Externally, I was understanding; internally, I was spiralling. Two more weeks of fighting with myself, fighting the urge to create and rehearse a script of what I would say. Fearful thoughts oscillating between, “What if they say I’m fine? What if…

  • What is Supervision?

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    Tracey Wakefield
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    Working in helping professions can be rewarding, challenging, complex, and at times overwhelming. Supervision provides a regular space to pause, reflect, and make sense of what is happening in your professional life. It is a confidential partnership that supports professional development, reflective practice, wellbeing, and effective decision-making. Whether you are navigating challenges, celebrating successes, exploring…

  • “I don’t have anything to talk about”

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    Tracey Wakefield
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    When someone says, “I don’t have anything to talk about“ Throughout my career, I have noticed that there can be resistance to being told to go to supervision. With a common response being “I don’t have anything to talk about.” Often this statement comes from people who haven’t engaged in supervision before and don’t know…