I just took a look at the latest version of the book “Massage Therapy – A career at your fingertips” by Martin Ashley and was shocked to read his comments on peer supervision.
He says in his book “If you are doing relaxation massage, you probably don’t need supervision. If you are doing medical massage, you likewise probably don’t need supervision. However, if you are regularly working with survivors of abuse, or touch trauma, supervision may be an important part of your professional life.”
He may be talking about the other kind of supervision where someone tells you what to do…it really isn’t clear if he understands the concept of peer supervision and peer supervision groups.
Peer Supervision is an absolute necessity for every massage professional no matter what kind of technique or discipline you are practicing. The process of peer supervision allows space for you to be listened to so that you don’t have to take that into your practice. When you feel listened to, you are able to work more effectively as a massage therapist and provide a safe environment for your client to heal.
I really think that peers supervision could replace the supposed need for licensing and legislation of massage. The purpose of much legislation is to protect the public.
In the book Supervision in the Helping Professions, they site a document by the British Association for counseling that states: “The primary purpose of supervision is to protect the best interests of the client”.
This is only the beginning of what supervision can really do.
Think about starting your own peer supervision group and see how far it can propel your practice!
