You might be carrying a full caseload, working largely on your own, or coming out of a session still turning something over. Online clinical supervision gives you a regular, confidential hour to think it through with someone outside your workplace. Sessions run by secure video, so you can attend from anywhere in Ireland. You are welcome to enquire about an initial appointment.
Clinical Supervision
Online clinical supervision for counsellors and psychotherapists: reflective, honest and grounded in your casework.
Accredited therapists
Fully confidential
Evening & weekend times
Everything is confidentialWhat you say in a session stays in the session.
Secure video, Ireland-wideFrom wherever you feel comfortable, on any device.
No GP referral neededBook online in a couple of minutes.
Evening and weekend timesSessions that fit around work and family.
What is online clinical supervision and how does it work?
Clinical supervision is a confidential, collaborative space for reflecting on your client work, your professional responsibilities and your own development as a practitioner. You bring the cases, the decisions and the parts that are nagging at you. The conversation is a shared one rather than a top-down review.
Online simply means it happens in scheduled live video sessions. An encrypted link arrives by email beforehand, there is nothing to install, and you join from your consulting room, your home office, or wherever you can talk without being overheard.
It helps to be clear about what supervision is not:
- It is not personal therapy, although how the work is affecting you is absolutely something to bring.
- It is not line management. There are no performance reviews and no reporting back to your employer.
- It is not a supervisor training course. Those courses train you to become a supervisor, which is a different thing entirely.
The approach here is reflective and practical, and it is led by what you bring. You set the agenda; the questions and the challenge come from there.
Who is online clinical supervision suitable for?
Supervision suits people doing emotionally demanding work with clients. That usually means counsellors and psychotherapists, and often others in helping and mental health roles where reflective practice is expected or simply useful.
- Trainees and pre-accredited practitioners building hours towards accreditation
- Newly qualified therapists finding their feet with a first independent caseload
- Experienced practitioners who want a thinking space rather than guidance
- Independent practitioners working alone, where supervision may be the only regular professional contact
- Professionals employed in agencies, healthcare, education or community settings
There are limits worth naming. Supervision here covers counselling and psychotherapy practice. If your work sits mainly in psychological assessment, prescribing, statutory child protection casework or another specialist area outside that scope, say so at the enquiry stage and you will be told plainly if it is not a good fit. If you are a trainee, your course will have its own requirements for who can supervise you, and those come first.
Not sure if this is the right fit?
A first session is just a conversation.
What happens during an online supervision session?
Most of the time you arrive with something specific: a client you feel stuck with, a boundary you are unsure about, a risk concern, a piece of feedback that stung. Sessions move between case discussion, reflective practice, ethical decision-making, boundaries, risk and safeguarding, and the honest question of how the work is landing on you.
Theory gets applied rather than recited. If a way of understanding a client helps you decide what to do next week, it earns its place. Confidence tends to grow from that, and so does self-awareness, which is the part most practitioners say they cannot get from reading.
Both individual and group supervision are available, and you can choose.
| Format | What it looks like | Often suits |
|---|---|---|
| Individual | One to one, usually 60 minutes, your whole caseload and your own process | Accreditation hours, complex or high-risk work, private practice |
| Group | A small group by video, longer session, shared case presentations and peer reflection | Hearing how others think, reducing isolation, lower cost per session |
You agree the agenda at the start of each session. Notes are brief, kept securely, and you keep your own record of attendance and anything you have agreed to act on before the next session.
How can clinical supervision support my practice?
The first beneficiary is the client. A second perspective catches the things you cannot see from inside the relationship, and it keeps your ethical thinking and your professional judgement honest.
- Sharper client care, including the cases that are quietly not moving
- A place to test ethical decisions before you make them, not afterwards
- Accountability that is supportive rather than punitive
- Professional development, skills building, and noticing where you need more learning
- Practical help with workload, isolation and the emotional weight of the work, which is where burnout usually starts
Good supervision is not advice-giving. It should be supportive and, at times, appropriately challenging. If you always leave feeling comfortable, something is probably being avoided.
Is online supervision confidential and professionally recognised in Ireland?
Sessions take place over an encrypted, browser-based video link sent to you by email. Nothing is recorded. Supervision notes are minimal and stored securely, and as a practitioner you have your own data protection responsibilities for anything you hold about your clients, which the Data Protection Commission sets out.
Confidentiality has limits, and they are the ordinary ones: a serious risk to you, a client or another person, a safeguarding concern, a legal obligation, or a professional complaints process. These are agreed in writing before you start.
On recognition, be careful with general reassurances, including this page. Whether your supervision counts depends on your professional body, your training provider, your employer and your accreditation route. Requirements differ between the IACP, IAHIP and the Psychological Society of Ireland, and statutory regulation of counsellors and psychotherapists in Ireland continues to develop through CORU, so check the current position with them directly. Attendance records can be provided for accreditation purposes. Note that supervision hours and CPD hours are usually counted separately by professional bodies, so do not assume one covers the other.
Why should I choose this clinical supervisor?
Supervision works through the relationship, so fit matters more than credentials on a page. That said, credentials are the right starting point when you are choosing anyone in Ireland.
- Accreditation with a recognised professional body, which you can verify on that body's public register
- Specific training in supervision, not just years of clinical practice
- Clinical experience in areas relevant to your own caseload
- Their own ongoing supervision and continuing professional development
The approach here is relational and integrative, and attentive to context, including the pressures of working in Irish services and private practice. Fit is assessed in an initial conversation. You talk about your background, your caseload and what you want from supervision, and expectations are agreed in a written supervision contract before the first full session. If it is not the right match, you will be told, and pointed elsewhere.
Frequently asked questions
How much does online clinical supervision cost in Ireland?
Individual and group supervision are charged at different rates, and the current fees are confirmed when you enquire so you have them in writing before committing. The fee covers the session itself, brief note-keeping and attendance records for accreditation. Payment arrangements and the cancellation notice period are set out in your supervision contract at the start, so there are no surprises later.
How often should I attend clinical supervision?
It depends on your caseload, your experience, your employment and your training or accreditation route, and your professional body will have a minimum. Fortnightly or monthly individual sessions are common for established practitioners. Trainees and pre-accredited practitioners usually need more, often tied to a set ratio of supervision to client hours. Check your body's current requirements and build the rhythm around that rather than the other way round.
Is online clinical supervision as effective as face-to-face supervision?
Most practitioners who have done both report that the work itself feels much the same once they settle into it. The practical gains are real: no travel, easier continuity when you are busy or unwell, and a much wider choice of supervisor if you live outside the larger towns. It is not for everyone, though. You need somewhere genuinely private, a reliable connection, and a preference for screen contact that you may or may not have.
How do I book an online clinical supervision session?
Get in touch through the enquiry form or by email, with a line or two about your professional background and what you are looking for.
- You will normally get a reply within two working days
- A short consultation follows, to talk through your caseload, supervision needs, availability and whether the fit feels right
- If you decide to go ahead, you agree a contract and a regular slot
- Daytime and evening appointments are available, and group supervision runs when there is demand
If supervision is something you have been meaning to sort out for a while, this is a straightforward first step. Get in touch to arrange an initial conversation, whenever you are ready.