Supervision and Professional Development in Social Work Practice

Amanda M. Nickson, Margaret Anne Carter, Abraham P. Francis, Abraham Francis

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2026
• eBook ISBN: 9781040816769
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education Counseling

This book aims to familiarise its readers with the current state of supervision in social work, provide them a common platform for reflection and action and thereby promote excellence in their respective learning, research and professional practice areas. Designed for social work students, social workers, human service professionals, researchers, community practitioners and academics, the underpinning value base and philosophy of this book is social justice, professional integrity, respect for persons and human rights with a focus on nurturing compassionate human service professionals in the sector.

Offering a contemporary approach, the book focuses on recent developments in supervision and professional development. Presenting an interface between academics and practice, the authors provide reflections, practice questions and activities related to the examples from the voices from the field, besides presenting different practice contexts and cultural lenses and considerations for cross cultural practice, including Indigenous supervision and practice issues. The book could be used as a text or handbook for effective supervision sessions across the helping professions.

This book will prove indispensable for academics, practitioners, supervisors and supervisees as well as postgraduate and advanced undergraduate students of social work, counselling, psychology and education.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Half-Title Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication Page
• Contents
• List of Figures
• List of Tables
• Voices from the Field
• Prologue: Publishing a Book on Supervision: From Corridor Conversation to Collective Flourishing
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• 1 Introduction to Supervision: Concepts, Contexts and Issues
• 2 Supervision in Social Work
• 3 Theoretical Perspectives in Supervision
• 4 Models of Supervision
• 5 Strengths-based Approaches to Supervision in Social Work
• 6 Professional Development for Growth
• 7 Professional Identity
• 8 Seasons in a Social Work Career
• 9 How to Work with Diversity in Supervision
• 10 Trauma-informed Supervision
• 11 Challenges and Opportunities in Supervision: Examples from Different Practice Contexts
• 12 The Use of Technology in Supervision
• 13 The Practice of Compassion in Supervision
• 14 Reflective Supervision and Building Resilience
• 15 Making the Most of Supervision: Quality Matters
• Index