1. POSITIVE SUPERVISION
FREDRIKE BANNINK!
Clinical psychologist &
Master of Dispute Resolution!
Therapy, training, coaching & mediation
Amsterdam, the Netherlands
www.fredrikebannink.com
@FredrikeBannink
Today’s workshop...
• Getting started: success, talent & ambition
Interview ‘Sparkling moments’!
• Paradigm change in supervision!
• Four pillars of positive supervision!
• Demo & exercises!
• Role positive supervisor / feedback from supervisees!
• Take away
• Name!
• Success!
• Talent!
• Ambition
2 x 4 minutes
Sparkling moments
• In pairs, interview your partner about a ‘sparkling moment’ in
their work over the past few weeks - a moment when they
really felt at their best!
• How come? What was it that made the moment sparkle?
Get as much detail as possible!!
• Listen carefully to what your partner says - you’ll need that
information in a moment...!
Person with broadest smile starts
Giving compliments
Based on what your partner just said......!
• Reflect on what you now know about their excellent
qualities, skills and resources - think for a moment.....!
• Then - tell them and wait for them to say “Thank you”
Small steps
may lead to big changes
Based on the conversation so far....!
Ask your partner what small step s/he can take to increase
the prospect of (even) more sparkling moments

2. Paradigm change in supervision
• Monkeys learn more from their successes than from their
failures. Probably also true for humans (Histed et al., 2009)!
• Success or failure recipes
!
“Positive supervision provided me with extra value
because I am rather good at getting my teeth into a
problem and unraveling it.!
For that reason I sometimes forget to check when the
problem doesn’t surface or what steps have been made in
the right direction.”
Two positive sources
• Positive Psychology
Focus on strengths
“What is wrong with you” > “What is right with you?”!
• Solution Focus
Focus on what works
* If it works (better), do more of it;
* If it doesn’t work, do something else.
What’s wrong with you?
What’s right with you?
1. Goal formulation!
2. Finding competence!
3.Working on progress!
4. Reflection
Four pillars of positive supervision

3. • Where to? instead of where from?!
• ‘I don’t know’......!
• ‘Not the airport’.....
Pillar 1
Goal formulation
“Instead of discussing the case by naming the client’s
problem my supervisor asked:“What is the goal?”,
“What does the client want to achieve?”!
It seems obvious, but I noticed that this was not
always explicitly stated.That gave rise to my clients
and I unwittingly setting different goals.”!
Goal formulation: client, agenda, case, session, total supervision
Pillar 2: Finding competence!
!
“I was surprised: we did not look at my ‘weaknesses’,
but rather at my skills. I suddenly felt a lot more
capable in my work than I previously thought I was.
I became even more surprised when the supervisor
explained to me what the purpose of supervision is:
that you feel competent in your profession and are
able to work independently as a psychotherapist.”!
!
Finding competence
Positive gossip 1!
In groups of 3, gossip for 2 minutes about the third person,
as if s/he is not there and cannot hear what’s been said.
Change 2x!
If you don’t know the other(s), use your first positive impressions
Pillar 3:Working on progress
Your most challenging case
Max 5 minutes; in pairs or plenary; information not needed!
• How would you rate the last session, if 10 means the session
was going really well and 0 means the opposite?!
• Suppose that at the end of the next session your rating is
one point higher, what will you have done differently?!
When plenary:What ideas does everyone else have?
Then: second most challenging case (with other colleague)!
Demo & exercise!
“If I compare this approach of supervision with the traditional
problem-focused supervision for me the difference lies mainly
in two points:
1. The motivational effect the focus on positive cognitions and
behavior has.!
2. The confidence in my own power to devise appropriate
solutions.
Changing this focus reinforces my positive emotions.
It strengthens my hope of a positive outcome and my
confidence that this is feasible using small steps forward.”

4. Pillar 4: Reflection
Your best session
Max 15 minutes; in pairs; information not needed!
• What was your best session recently?!
• What made it such a good session? !
• How did you achieve that? !
• What does that say about you and your capacities?!
• (How will you be able to do that more often?)
Different role of supervisors
Water the flowers, not the weeds
Positive reinforcement of strengths- & solutions-talk
& negative punishment of problem-talk
Positive focus
in supervision
Problem talk!
Focus on problems, what
supervisees don’t want, causes,
negative emotions,
disadvantages, deficits, risks,
failures and the feared future!
Ergo: less creativity, flexibility,
empathy & resilience!
Strengths- & solutions talk!
Focus on what supervisees
want instead of problems,
exceptions, positive emotions,
advantages, strengths,
successes, opportunities and
the preferred future!
Ergo: more creativity, flexibility,
empathy & resilience
Positive reinforcement of strengths and what works
(De Shazer, co-founder SFBT:“We are cheerleaders”)
A native American elder once described his inner struggle in this manner:!
‚Inside of me there are two dogs. One of them is mean and evil, the other
dog is good.The mean dog fights the good dog all the time.’!
When his grandson asked him which dog wins, he replied:
‚The dog I feed most.’

5. Feedback by supervisees
Session Rating Scale (www.scottdmiller)
„In supervision we often talked about the effect of the use of the
Session Rating Scale. By filling out the SRS myself, I really experienced
what exactly this effect is. At the start it is strange when a supervisor
asks you to provide feedback on the supervision. Also the question:
'What can I do differently or better next time to get a higher point on
the scale?' was unfamiliar.
The first time I didn’t dare to say what that might be.The next time,
however, I did give feedback and it turned out to be very nice. By doing
so we worked more focused on my goals and I got more out of the
supervision. It also gives me a good feeling that the supervisor asks me
what I want and how I want it.
This influences our working relationship in a positive way.”
I
“Increasing+their+successes,+that’s+my+job”
Insoo+Kim+Berg+(co:founder+SFBT)+
“In problem-focused supervision I learned from the
‘sharp minds’ of my supervisors; in positive
supervision I learned to use my own ‘sharp mind’.
The result is that I have become more optimistic,
effective and independent in creating and
supporting processes of change.”
Reflection
Positive gossip 2
• Pretend your are one of your favorite supervisees/trainees!
• Gossip in a positive way about your supervisor/senior
with the other supervisees/trainees in your group
Take away
Help your colleague to describe 5 things or ideas
which s/he could put to use at work which would tell
your colleague that this workshop has been worth the
time, energy, money and effort.!
Post-traumatic success September 2014
Handbook of Positive Supervision November 2014
Thank you for your kind attention!