Experiencing the supervision process in the case of professionals (to-be) in the helping professions

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