Who's coaching the coach?

Most associations now require evidence of supervision to support accreditation and feel that it is an essential component in the building of an ethical and respected coaching profession. However, despite the documented benefits of supervision, not every coach is undergoing supervision and the most often cited reason is cost. Some coaches are shying away from a paid supervisor preferring to set up one-to-one peer supervision relationships which involve no exchange of money. This allows them to put a ‘tick in the box’ but raises questions about the quality of the supervision obtained. There is the obvious danger of collusion and questions of quality with untrained and unqualified supervisors entering the field. Another way to reduce the cost burden is to use a professional coaching supervisor and split the cost among a number of coaches to undergo group supervision. However, there may be a reluctance to disclose details of certain problems and unique and personal development areas may never be tackled in favour of more commonly experienced issues.