coaching and supervision reviews

I worked with Arlene as a colleague and Operational Manager with Quarriers. The remit of the role was incredibly diverse and Arlene managed her services very skilfully and with great dedication. 

Arlene had the ability to support managers with the day to day business whilst being able to think strategically about the sustainability and diversity of each service. Her attention to detail and willingness to go the extra mile for the people that we supported, staff teams, managers and her Operational colleagues was exceptional. 

Arlene had a real grasp of the complexities of services across the spectrum of youth justice, youth homelessness, residential child care and a number of health related services. 

It was no surprise to me that when an opportunity came up to be an interim Head of Service for Children, Families and Young People, the Executive team identified Arlene as the one to take up the role. This exposure to a broader range of responsibilities and working with the Board of Trustees was great experience befitting Arlene as she has since gone on to be a very successful Managing Director. 

Arlene brings a passion and enthusiasm to her work and practice that is underpinned with her strong academic foundation. The application and focus that Arlene demonstrates around service re-design, developing new services and a willingness to seek out appropriate collaborative partnerships makes her an exceptional candidate for any employer.

Arlene is a highly accomplished leader with extensive knowledge of organisational change within children’s social care services. 

Having worked with Arlene for a number of years across different setting’s I can say with confidence that she has a high degree of technical understanding of the environments created within complex children’s services and how to manage these accordingly. 

Arlene understands the importance of key stakeholder engagement and how this influences the delivery of organisational strategy and change. 

Furthermore, 

Arlene is genuinely values driven and places people at the centre of everything she does – an asset to any organisation.

I have had the privilege of working with Arlene over the past 8 years. Initially when we both worked within Quarriers when Arlene requested that the person-centred planning service which I then managed, facilitate for a new team within her then remit as operational manager. 

It was immediately evident to me how naturally person-centred Arlene was. She treated people with the dignity and respect many simply talk about. I observed Arlene taking the time to listen to and encourage each person she came in to contact with, be that someone we supported or colleagues. 

Arlene communicates with people in a quiet, respectful way, the best way, with no ego involved. Such a rare attribute. Arlene then approached me when she moved to Common Thread as Managing Director and I again have the privilege of working with teams, young people and staff. 

Arlene is a joy to work with. She sees challenges as opportunities and regardless of the support that people require, will always go the extra mile. I know and have worked with people who are ‘head’ people or ‘heart’ people. 

Arlene has the fine balance of both and in social care, boldly steps out speaking from the heart to ensure that people’s needs are met, whatever that takes. 

I know for sure that wherever Arlene works in future, she will give of herself in a truly person-centred way. It will be one lucky organisation who benefits from the many attributes that Arlene possesses. That’s simply a fact. 

Arlene is a fantastic MD and leader who was always focussed, driven and professional. 

Her naturally positive coaching style was motivating and inspiring. 

She is a natural leader and understand how to get the best out of her team to drive the business forward. 

I would not hesitate to work with Arlene again and recommend her to any forward-thinking business.

Arlene has been a truly great support to me through my journey in management. She is very knowledgeable and hugely passionate about everything that she does. 

Arlene is a kind, caring and approachable person who has time to listen to everyone and offer honest and thoughtful advice. In times of need and crisis, 

Arlene remains calm and in control to help support make informed decisions. Arlene lights up every room that she walks in to with her positive and friendly attitude. It has been an absolute pleasure to work with a great leader! 

From the moment Arlene interviewed me I realised she was exactly what I was looking for in a MD . 

She has warmth, compassion, integrity and I can truly say, a person-centred approach to young people and her Team. 

Put all these together with her strong visionary leadership skills, the ability to effectively oversee and co- ordinate daily operations and motivate others sets Arlene apart as being, in my opinion, quite unique in her field. 

I had the pleasure of working with Arlene for a year and I would not hesitate to work with her again and recommend her for a similar position.

Over the 5 years that I have worked with Arlene I have found her to be a motivated, driven, compassionate and approachable Person. 

No manager that I have had has cared more or inputted more into my development, both as a person and as a manager. 

Arlene puts everything into any project or task that she is given. 

Through hard work, determination and great communication skills she has been successful in making positive changes in the lives of the people that she has supported as well as the workforce.

Arlene is a fantastic leader who I’ve known for 10 years in which time she was my line manager working within Youth Justice and Homelessness Services then most recently with Young People in care.

Arlene has many great strengths including her ability to deal with conflicting priorities in high-pressure and complex situations. 

As a leader, Arlene brings a lot of energy that is contagious within teams and with great attention to detail gets jobs done to a high standard. 

I’ve benefited greatly from working alongside Arlene as she has the ability to help other grow and develop others professionally. 

With a creative approach and determination to succeed in her work alongside an incredible work ethic, 

Arlene would be a real asset to any organisation. 

I have been doing supervisions with Heather for a while now and they are really productive, it's a safe place where you can discuss anything without judgement and she is always empathetic, I always feel comfortable with what I discuss, and supervisions are always confidential. 

Heather is extremely nice and always lets me speak without interruption. After my supervision I always feel like a weight has been lifted and feel so much better regardless of what has been discussed. I would highly recommend Heather and the root wings coaching team. 

Heather helps me to reflect on how I feel and think about my work. She provides a space where I have time to reflect holistically on my entire professional practice in balance with my professional objectives and work-life balance.  

Heather can work in dialogue but can also offer a creative insight for the visual learners like myself. In several on-line sessions, we have utilised images, which I find open unseen avenues of exploration. The images have helped me uncover masked personal insecurities, incongruence in values and application, work-life balance and self-care considerations. Appreciating a wider context has enabled me to be more reflexive. 

Working with Heather has helped me to identify and prioritise my training needs, create and maintain defined personal and professional boundaries and explore ethical considerations of my professional practice. Working with Heather has helped me manage my personal resources enabling me to work and live in balance. 

I have been receiving supervision from heather on a monthly basis for the best part of 2022. I am able to talk to Heather about adult and child counselling. 

Heather has been really helpful allowing me to talk through situations I am struggling with or need help finding which path to work through in client work and see things from a different perspective and also just things I would like to talk through that I am looking to develop in. 

Heather allows me safe confidential space to talk through my work but also allows me to talk on a personal basis if something has come up for me in general life that is bothering me 

I feel comfortable talking to heather and feel listened to. I find my supervision very helpful

Supervision is a crucial part of a counsellor’s journey and finding the right supervisor for you is just as vital. 

My first experience of supervision was a disaster; however, I am grateful for this experience as it only reiterated to me the importance of the connection between supervisor and supervisee.

Counselling can be a very stressful occupation and having an experienced supervisor such as Heather was extremely important to me. 

Heather has been my supervisor for several months now, I felt that we connected from our very first session. She is professional, understanding, empathetic and knowledgeable.

To me, the most important qualities for supervision to be effective is honesty, openness, and connection, I have all these qualities within Heather. 

Creative check in with imagery is a great way and one of my favourite ways to start our sessions. It enables me to focus on how I am feeling in that moment. Whilst exploring the images, it allows me to draw on my own connections between the images like my values, ethics, and emotions through my client work. This enables reflection and introspection.

Discussing my client practice with Heather and getting the feedback enables me to gain an objective insight into my own skills and performance therefore forms part of my continuous professional and personal development. 

I am forever grateful to Heather for supporting me to maintain my professional and ethical boundaries, whilst also developing my knowledge of how I practice.