The aim of the article is to find out how participants in
supervision experience the supervision process and how
they estimate the significance of supervision for their
personal and professional development. Two focus groups
were included in the qualitative comparative study:
a focus group of employees in an NGO, which offers
psychosocial help to adolescents and children, and a focus
group of students of social pedagogy, who are attending
the optional course Supervision. The group interview with
both groups was analysed by a hermeneutic method. As
expected, the results showed that employees and students
estimate supervision as important to their personal and
professional development. But the expectations that
employees will specify in more detail in which fields of
action supervision empowered them, were not met. Both
groups clearly recognise and name these fields of action,
yet these fields differ between the two groups. In the case of
the group of employees the fields of action are connected
with their professional work and relationships within the
team, while in the case of the group of students these fields
are connected to their practical work and also to other
situations in general. Because supervision represents a
source of empowerment for both groups, each in the scope
of its needs, there should be offered a chance to join the
supervision during practice as well as during education.
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