Abstract

This chapter focuses on the experiences of a registered mental nurse (RPN) of receiving and engaging in clinical supervision. From early experiences of and exposure to clinical supervision during a formal programme of study, to engaging in clinical supervision as a staff nurse on an inpatient unit and then as a community psychiatric nurse attached to a general practitioner’s surgery, this chapter provides a window into the lived world of the supervisee (in various settings and stages of one’s career). The chapter advances the argument how engaging in clinical supervision helped the author develop his skills and knowledge, which in turn improved the care he offered to clients and maintained his health and clinical effectiveness. Drawing on specific examples of problems and/or challenges he encountered in his practice, the author shows how these real issues were brought into the supervision sessions and how they were faced, considered and subsequently addressed. The chapter also draws attention to some of the practical disadvantages that can occur if certain principles are overlooked.