Learning, connecting and holistic wellbeing: A study of how supervisors sustain wellbeing and resilience

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5502/ijw.v15i4.4521

Abstract

Professional supervision contributes to practice safety and supervisee wellbeing, supporting both quality service delivery as well as professional and personal development. However, the supervisor’s own support and development are areas less traversed. This study explored the activities that supervisors identified as necessary to sustain their wellbeing and resilience. A nationwide, mixed methods study exploring how supervisors support and sustain their professional development, wellbeing, and resilience was conducted in Aotearoa New Zealand. Supervisors across a range of professions participated in the study and the qualitative data identified a range of activities which maintained, supported and strengthened their wellbeing. The activities were positioned within the supervisor’s person-centred and practice-centred domains: self-knowledge and self-awareness of stress; conscious attention to holistic wellbeing; social connection, support, and learning from others; professional development; satisfying supervisory relationships; and professional self-management.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Nicki Weld, University of Auckland

Nicki Weld PhD is a senior lecturer at the University of Auckland, teaching and supervising postgraduate research in professional supervision. Nicki is a registered social worker who has worked for in a variety of social service and child protection roles, including professional leader for social work in general health, senior social worker, supervisor, senior child protection trainer, and as a national social work advisor within the New Zealand government sector and non -government sector. She is the author and co-author of six social service books

Matt Rankine, University of Auckland

Matt Rankine PhD is a senior lecturer at the University of Auckland, teaching and supervising postgraduate research and leading a postgraduate degree in professional supervision. Matt has provided external supervision to a range of inter-professional disciplines for many years and has practised in social work working with children, young people and families in Aotearoa/New Zealand and in the United Kingdom.

Liz Beddoe, University of Auckland

Liz Beddoe PhD is a professor of social work at the University of Auckland, teaching in undergraduate and postgraduate programme and supervising higher research degrees. Liz has published articles, several books and numerous chapters in significant edited books on social work education, supervision and professional issues, and health care and reproductive justice in journals in New Zealand and overseas.

Allyson Davys, Independant supervisor

Allyson Davys PhD was formerly a senior lecturer in professional supervision and is an independent supervisor and supervision educator with extensive experience in both supervision practice and education.  Allyson has published several books, numerous articles and chapters in significant edited books on professional supervision with a particular interest in interprofessional supervision.

Downloads

Published

2025-10-02

Issue

Vol. 15 No. 4 (2025)

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Weld Nicki, Matt Rankine, Liz Beddoe, Allyson Davys

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal. The license prevents others from using the work for profit without the express consent of the author(s). The license also prevents the creation of derivative works without the express consent of the author(s). Note that derivative works are very similar in nature to the original. Merely quoting (and appropriately referencing) a passage of a work is not making a derivative of it.
  2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).