Our work can be one of the most rewarding areas of our life, but sometimes surviving work can be a challenge, especially when you throw in family, relationships and looking after your health.
Most of us recognise that keeping work/life/health balance is one of the most important things to achieve sustainability in your chosen career, and having an experienced mentor or supervisor to check in with you regularly to air challenges, ideas and successes can help you to stay on track.
There is a lovely quote, “You can’t see the whole picture,if you’re in the frame” that typifies the perception that we can have when we are absorbed in performing our roles responsibly. And, another analogy that refers to a frog in a cooking pot of water on the stove, not noticing the gradual increases in temperature. This last quote flags how we can let our boundaries and good intentions slip when we are consistently and incrementally exposed to increased stress.
Having someone outside the frame looking at the “bigger picture” of you, and your work, relationships and health can be an extremely valuable liaison, assisting you with honest feedback and guidance,to prevent burnout, trying to do the impossible, and facilitating sustainability, balance and increased success in your career.
Terry has performed the role of professional supervisor since his youth work days in the late 1970s when he mentored and supervised new full-time youth workers. Since then he has helped support many clergy, school principals and those in social work, counselling, natural therapy and healing roles. He was appointed to look after the Christian Brothers leadership team for a six-year term in the mid1990s and has lectured extensively in stress management, spirituality and sustainability at work for Catholic Education, Education Queensland and Teaches Union Health.He has also given keynote presentations at the Woodford Folk Festival.