Most family lawyers have cases that have stayed with them long after the conclusion of the file. As a family lawyer myself with 30 years’ experience, I understand what this means.

As family lawyers we are, on a daily basis, helping, supporting and advising our clients who are often in various states of distress. We are focussing on their needs and often receive little support ourselves. I believe that must change. The supervision model supports us to take care of ourselves so that we can look after others.

This kind of supervision and support is mandatory in most caring professions and is new to family law. My training to be a supervisor was a revelation. Supervision is something that I didn’t know we needed. I now benefit from it myself and certainly would have welcomed it earlier in my career.

Supervision is professional support -an opportunity for confidential discussion around your work and its effect on you. A time for you to reflect on particular cases or situations that you would like to talk about, where your needs come first.

I bring a listening ear and years of experience at “the coal face”. I may be able to offer a different perspective or a new angle. In my view and in my experience, nothing beats a real conversation with a real person.

It is a cliché because it is true: you need to put on your own oxygen mask before you are able to assist others.

I trained as a Family Law Supervisor after 30 years in practice as a family lawyer. I am also a Collaborative lawyer and a trained mediator. I started my career in Milton Keynes and then Bedford for medium sized practices. I then returned to Cheshire and became a salaried partner in a medium sized firm where I worked for over 20 years before setting up my own family law practice. I also work as a consultant as part of a large team of family lawyers in a Manchester firm.