A supervision concern can begin as something small: you leave a session feeling dismissed, a recurring issue is not being explored, or you notice that you are editing what you bring because you expect criticism rather than curiosity. Knowing how to discuss supervision concerns matters because supervision is not an optional add-on to therapeutic work. It is one of the places where client welfare, professional development and the emotional reality of practice should be held together.
Raising a concern can feel particularly difficult when your supervisor is experienced, when you are a trainee, or when you worry that honesty will be seen as defensiveness. Yet thoughtful challenge is often part of good supervision. A healthy supervisory relationship has room for uncertainty, difference and repair. It does not require either person to be perfect.
First, identify what is troubling you
Before arranging a conversation, give the concern some shape. This is not about building a case against your supervisor. It is about understanding your own experience clearly enough to describe it fairly.
You may be concerned about the practical frame: cancelled sessions, unclear availability, fees, confidentiality, record keeping or the frequency of supervision. Perhaps the difficulty is relational. You may feel judged, rushed, interrupted, overly directed or unable to disagree. Or the concern may be clinical and ethical: risk is not being considered carefully, cultural factors are being minimised, boundaries are unclear, or you are being encouraged towards a course of action that does not feel safe or defensible.
Try to separate observations from assumptions. “When I brought the safeguarding concern last week, we moved on before discussing my assessment” is more useful than “You do not take safeguarding seriously.” Your interpretation may still matter, but beginning with a specific event gives both of you something concrete to examine.
It can help to write down three things: what happened, what effect it had on you or your work, and what you need now. This modest preparation often makes a difficult discussion feel less overwhelming.
Check whether the concern is urgent
Not every concern needs immediate escalation. A mismatch in style, an awkward comment or a sense of disappointment may be best addressed directly in the next supervision session. There is value in allowing a relationship the chance to clarify and repair.
However, some concerns require more urgent action. If you believe a client or another person may be at risk, if there is a serious breach of confidentiality, exploitation, discrimination, inappropriate boundaries or pressure to practise beyond your competence, do not wait for a routine conversation if delay could cause harm. Follow your organisation’s safeguarding and complaints procedures, seek appropriate consultation, and document the facts carefully.
This is not disloyalty. Your first professional responsibility is client welfare. Supervision should support ethical practice, not make it harder to act on it.
How to discuss supervision concerns directly
Where it is safe and appropriate, speak to your supervisor openly. Choose a time when neither of you is rushing to leave and make it clear that you would like to spend part of the session reflecting on the supervisory relationship itself.
You do not need to sound polished or certain. In fact, a calm, honest opening is often enough: “There is something about our supervision that I have found difficult to raise, and I would value thinking about it with you.” This signals collaboration rather than accusation.
Use first-person language and stay close to the impact. For example: “I noticed I held back part of the work after I felt my approach was dismissed. I would like to understand what happened and find a way to bring uncertainty more freely.” Or: “I need more clarity about how we make decisions when risk is present, because I left our last discussion unsure of my responsibilities.”
Being specific does not mean being harsh. A good conversation can hold both respect for the supervisor’s experience and respect for your own professional judgement. You may have misunderstood something. Your supervisor may have missed the impact of their approach. Both possibilities can be explored without minimising the concern.
Ask for a shared plan
A useful discussion ends with more than reassurance. Ask what will change in practice. That may mean agreeing a clearer agenda, revisiting the supervision contract, allowing more space for your clinical rationale, setting out a process for urgent contact, or reviewing how feedback is offered.
If the issue relates to a client, clarify the immediate clinical plan as well. What needs recording? Is further risk assessment required? Do you need an additional consultation? Who is responsible for which next step? Clear agreements protect both clients and practitioners.
Afterwards, make a brief factual note for your own records. This need not be adversarial. It simply helps you remember what was raised, what was agreed and whether change follows.
Notice the response, not just the words
A supervisor does not have to agree with every concern for the conversation to be constructive. They may offer a different clinical view, explain a decision you had not fully understood, or challenge you in a way that remains respectful and accountable.
What matters is whether they can engage. Do they listen without retaliation? Can they acknowledge impact, even if their intention was different? Are they willing to review the contract or seek consultation themselves? Do you feel more able, rather than less able, to bring difficult material afterwards?
Defensiveness can happen to anyone. A moment of discomfort is not automatically evidence of poor supervision. But persistent dismissal, blame, intimidation or refusal to address legitimate ethical concerns deserves attention. The power difference in supervision means that supervisors carry particular responsibility for creating conditions where challenge is possible.
When direct discussion is not enough
Sometimes a concern remains unresolved after a clear conversation. Sometimes the relationship no longer feels sufficiently safe to have that conversation at all. In these circumstances, seek another source of support rather than carrying the issue alone.
Depending on your setting, this could be a course leader, placement co-ordinator, clinical lead, professional body, safeguarding lead or another suitably qualified supervisor. Check your supervision agreement and relevant organisational procedures. If you are in private practice, an independent consultation can help you think through both the clinical issue and the professional process.
Be careful about how you seek support. Share only what is necessary, preserve client confidentiality, and avoid turning a professional concern into informal gossip. The aim is not to recruit others to your side. It is to obtain ethical, proportionate guidance and ensure that client care remains sound.
Changing supervisor may be the right outcome, particularly where there is a sustained mismatch in modality, values, availability or working style. It can also be appropriate after a serious rupture that cannot be repaired. A change need not mean either person has failed. Supervision is a professional relationship, and not every professional relationship is the right fit.
The concern may be part of your learning
It is worth making room for a more personal question: what makes this concern especially hard to raise? Perhaps authority figures have felt unsafe in the past. Perhaps you are used to being the competent one, or fear that uncertainty will expose you as inadequate. Therapists are not outside these human patterns. Often, supervision brings them into view.
This reflection should never be used to explain away a genuine problem. A supervisor must not suggest that every objection is merely transference, resistance or a lack of resilience. But understanding your own response can give you more choice in how you speak, what support you need and where personal therapy may be helpful.
The strongest supervision is neither comfortable at all times nor relentlessly confrontational. It is a collaborative space where difficult clinical material, professional doubt and relational strain can be examined with care. Raising a concern is one way of protecting that space. Done thoughtfully, it can strengthen your practice, support your clients and remind you that ethical work includes the courage to speak when something does not feel right.