Melbourne Supervision

Testimonials

As evidence of our ability to deliver "Excellence in Practice", Melbourne Supervision would like to share these testimonials

Social Worker Local Government, 2022-2025

“I had the privilege of working with Helen as my external supervisor for three years. Throughout this time, her guidance has been invaluable to my reflective practice and my ongoing professional growth. Helen created a deeply supportive and grounded space, where I always felt safe to explore challenges, celebrate progress, and build confidence in my work. Her warm presence and empowering approach have helped me develop professionally in different capacities across both leadership and direct practice. I consistently left our sessions with greater clarity, self-awareness, and a stronger sense of direction. Helen is an exceptional supervisor, and I am truly grateful for the impact she had on my development."

Senior Advocate Youth Disability, 2020-2025

“Helen is a friendly, thoughtful and compassionate supervisor. Over the past five years, I met with Helen once a month for individual supervision and once a month for group supervision. These sessions were always a huge highlight for me and something I genuinely looked forward to in my busy schedule.”

"Helen provides a safe, inclusive and confidential space to debrief on your experiences, thoughts and feelings, unpack client cases, explore systemic issues and identify your own strengths and challenges. Every conversation I had with Helen, I walked away feeling more assured and confident in my practice and I always felt that I was fully supported in whatever challenges I was facing."

"Helen’s mentorship and guidance has been a critical part of my career development and I feel very grateful to have learnt from her deep and varied expertise. I highly recommend Helen to anyone and everyone!"

Disability Advocate RIAC, 2022-2024

“Helen has worked with me for the past 2 years through external supervision so I could build my skills and confidence in the disability advocacy sector. I felt like I was always in the drivers seat and could bring any issues/topics I needed to discuss and Helen’s consistent and client centred approached threaded the themes across the different sessions so that I could challenge and strengthen my self awareness and ethical practice. I could not recommend Helen enough! She is a warm, compassionate and professional and has had an incredibly positive impact on my professional development”

Team Leader Secondary Education, 2018-2024

“I have been so privileged to be supported by Helen both individually and as part of a team across multiple work places. I have actively sought out Helen’s services and supports because of how instrumental she has been in supporting our teams to develop and grow as practitioners and as a service. She has provided safe spaces to critically reflect and develop an integrated and strength based approach to the way we deliver services in what are often high stress environments. Helen is incredibly skilled at holding and supporting vulnerability and supporting people to unpack challenges and strengths. I am so appreciative of her support at very critical times.”

Coordinator, VATT (Voice at The Table) A project of AMIDA, 2022-2024

"I participated in both one on one and group supervision sessions with Helen. Helen is flexible in her supervision style, able to quickly ascertain and address the most pertinent issues. She is also a good listener and shows a depth of understanding and empathy. During the supervision sessions I felt safe to talk freely which is not something you always find. And importantly, I felt supported and was able to grow as a worker."

Clinical Lead, Behaviour Support Programs NDIS Provider, 2022-2024

"Personally, I've really appreciated the space you provided to myself to reflect on my practice and I truly believe it's been a big part of my success in the role. Thank you so much Helen, it's been a pleasure working alongside you."

Senior Advisor - Global Safeguarding Child Wise, 2023

"I undertook group clinical supervision with Helen. Helen is a very empathetic, considered and engaged professional. She has excellent active listening skills and facilitates safe, solutions-focused, and free-flowing conversation. I valued the sessions and came out of them feeling more connected with my colleagues."

Social Worker Disability Advocacy Service - RIAC, 2022

"I just wanted to reach out to give some feedback about the Supervision session I had with Helen last week. I have engaged in supervision with previous organisations however this was by far the best that I have had. I found Helen to be very thoughtful and quick to pick up on my working style, strengths and weaknesses."

Social Worker Community Health Centre, 2021

"I worked with Helen for approximately 3 years. The supervision I received during this time was integral in shaping, and improving, my reflective practice."

"Helen is a supportive, knowledgeable and passionate supervisor and I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with her."

Social Worker Community Health Centre, 2021

"I connected with Helen for external Social Work supervision whilst employed in a multidisciplinary team working with older adults aged 65+ experiencing mental health concerns, social isolation and loneliness. Helen consistently provided a professional, safe and critically reflective space for me to explore client, ethical, structural, organisational and professional development concerns."

"Helen provided thoughtful guidance, support and reassurance as I explored my practice in a number of client scenarios – particularly around the concepts of risk, choice and trauma informed care. I greatly appreciated Helen’s curious questioning for encouraging deeper enquiry and reflection. Equally, I am grateful for her practice knowledge and ideas about how to approach issues."

"Helen also provided invaluable support through a period of challenging organisational change – support that assisted me to continue to remain client focused."

"I consistently looked forward to my supervision sessions and the opportunity to de-brief, explore and learn through discussion and, from Helen. I hope I have the opportunity to work with her in the future!"

Manager Mental Health Service Carol Westrup, 2021

"For approximately 3 years I was a member of a group receiving monthly clinical supervision from Helen Woods. She consistently demonstrated extensive professional supervisory skills and experience as we explored individual and team concerns – from a clinical practice perspective and from a governance perspective."

"Helen employed compassion and humor throughout that time, whilst providing astute feedback and prompts for reflection. She was reliable and well-organised, and very easy to connect."

"I learnt a lot from Helen and she helped me learn a lot about myself as a professional and as an individual. I recommend her highly."

Acting Grade 3 Social Worker Savannah Rowland, Calvary Health Care Bethlehem, 2019

"Helen Woods has provided group supervision to our organisation for a number of years. She is extremely professional, has a tremendous amount of practice wisdom and she was able to assist us with her vast knowledge of the latest Social Work theories to help guide our practice. Her expertise and professional support were invaluable to our group."

"I would not hesitate to employ Helen for either group supervision sessions or individual supervision in the future."

Grade 3 Social Worker Malini Somaiya, Calvary Health Care Bethlehem, 2016-2018

"I have sought external supervision from Helen for a few years now. These sessions have been invaluable. Helen has helped strengthen my clinical skills and reasoning. She has also been able to mentor and provide support in developing my skills as a senior social worker. Helen has helped me to identify my professional goals and ensured that the sessions have remained focused on this."

"Helen is very professional and is a role model for social workers. She has a wealth of knowledge and practical experience and draws on this during supervision."

"Helen is warm, insightful and has a wonderful sense of humor. Helen is an excellent clinical supervisor and I would highly recommend her. Truly, thank you for all support over the last few years."

Social Worker Private Acute Psychiatric Hospital, 2017

"Helen always provided a safe environment for me to discuss my concerns, insecurities and frustrations while a Grade 1 Social Worker."

"Helen supported me in engaging in self-reflective practice and allowing me to consider the links between social work theories and my personal form of practice in my role in a clinical setting. This is a skill that I am still engaging with in my current role in community mental health to help build an understanding of my professional style. I found this experience with Helen invaluable and would definitely recommend it to others!"

Aged and Disability Services Team Local Government, 2015

"Personally I have found Helen a great support and resource over my past 2 years. I find it very beneficial to have an outside person to assist with issues I may have in the work place or to discuss complex clients. I would be disappointed if we were to lose her and her support."

"Yes an invaluable resource, a very unbiased and helpful practitioner, I would definitely continue to use her service."

"Although it has been some time since I saw Helen I found her to be really supportive, great with conflict resolution both office based and client based, made me thought about my career path and how to broaden my professional development and I would definitely like to continue to see her."

"I think Helen is awesome!!!! The fact that she doesn’t work with us means she is objective & a valuable tool for staff to be supported where needed. She’s also good at it!!"

"Hopefully I’m not too late to provide my feedback. I would like to continue with the supervisions with Helen, I think she is a great resource to us. It’s easy to get caught up in day to day issues and policies, she can help re-direct us to looking at the bigger picture and how we practice. As a practitioner I think that it’s important for us to have an external person to have supervision with a few times a year. She has so much experience and knowledge. I find my time with her very beneficial, she helps me to question and improve the way I practice and this in turn benefits clients. I don’t have a lot of experience with SW supervision (apart from placement) but I think that she is one of the best at what she does."

"I would continue to put my hand up for supervision with Helen. I can see how much I have grown since seeing her. She has been very positive and her advice and listening ear is so beneficial to my working and personal life."

"Cannot find enough words to convey the impact of the supervision sessions with Helen Woods. Her assistance and clarity provide food for growth and security in the process, and helps me to find my own direction when needed in my working life."

Social Worker CRS Australia, 2014

"I really do want to thank you for the work you have done with me over the last year in helping me really bring my social work identity to the forefront. I've really appreciated your gentle and inquisitive approach, and the ever-ready professionalism you've brought to all the sessions! All the best to you. I will miss the connection with you and take from our work a lot of awareness."

Coordinator, Youth and Family Services Community Health Centre, 2013

"Here is some review information from our Managing Aggressive behaviours workshop you ran with / for us at xxxx. At the staff meeting directly following our training with you, I asked staff how they found the training and if they felt more confident about working with / managing aggressive behaviours. Here are the results;

All staff indicated that they had enjoyed the training session All staff indicated the training was pitched at the right level and they enjoyed and learned most from the role plays All staff indicated that would now know better how to manage a client with aggressive behaviours when working with them or if / when they presented at the Reception at xxxx.

In addition, all staff commented about your inclusive and competent facilitation style and how the examples and tips / tools you gave were of great relevance to us here in our team and with our client base. And finally Helen the written materials you prepared and gave us were great.

In addition Helen I would like to add, that I very much appreciated you coming and spending time with us prior to the workshop and developing an understanding of our service and the way it operates and meeting as many of us before the session too."