I have had the privilege of being supervised and mentored by Deanne for many years. She introduced me to the formative ideas that continue to shape my therapeutic approach, in particular; post-structuralist ideas, narrative therapy and the work of ]ohnella Bird. Deanne’s experience in the child protection, (also known as Trauma) field positioned her as a supervisor who understood the complexity of the work and the power of creativity and deconstructing of dominant discourses. This experience supported me to navigate therapeutic approaches within a systemic lens which are the foundations of my ongoing professional trajectory. And subsequently I have been sustained in this work and continue to be enlivened by this collaborative approach to therapy and advocacy. I highly recommend Deanne as a supervisor as she will support and extend your skills and thinking.

I commenced supervision with Deanne recently and have found my time with her very beneficial for my professional practice and development. Deanne provides a safe place for me to explore cases, challenges and fears within a sound theoretical underpinning. Deanne brings me back to the theories, ethics and values that social work is based upon while introducing me to new ideas and new ways of thinking in this professional space. I always walk out invigorated and excited to be a social worker.

I have previously engaged Deanne twice to provide remote supervision where I have held positions as a sole social worker. At that time I was working in remote and isolated communities including Far North Queensland and later, the Torres Strait. This was frequently challenging work responding to a breadth of social and emotional wellbeing issues confronting individuals, families and communities with large Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations. Deanne’s supervision style lent itself well to my professional circumstances. Her intelligent questions, informed by a narrative therapy approach, allowed me to be expert about my own work. This strengthened my confidence as a practioner and lessened feelings of professional isolation. Holding the supervision by phone was no impediment to the quality of the supervision. I have always respected Deanne’s considerable experience and knowledge particularly in child protection, sexual assault and legal processes. As a supervisor I found Deanne to be warm, approachable and respectful. Highly recommended.

Deanne was my supervisor for seven years and went with me as my supervisor across jobs in the government and non-government sector. Deanne has this wonderful knack of being able to tease out the issues in your practice and thinking that you are not noticing, that you may be taking for granted yet are often the key to sustaining what you do. This was critical for me as a sole practitioner who has often struggled with self-doubt. Having Deanne challenge my thinking when I was falling into that trap, but also allowing me to work out myself, through critical reflection, the path I needed to be taking. Deanne would be able to zoom in on particular micro issues that were buzzing around in my thinking and then zoom out to the broader structural issues that were often key to my understanding of where, why and how my work played out. Deanne has supported me through a lot of tough work issues that impacted on both my professional and personal well-being, yet our supervision time was often full of laughter as we teased out and reflected on this profession of serving others. Deanne helped me stay connected to the ideals that brought me to social work in the first place. Speaking on the phone or at times using skype was no impediment at all to supervision and I always looked forward to our sessions. I would highly recommend Deanne as a supervisor who will provide excellent support and bring out the best in your practice.

Deanne has provided me with clinical supervision at different stages of my career and her clinical experience and insights have been invaluable. There are often moments when I still think ‘what would Deanne say’, particularly when thinking about power imbalance and how this area of social justice plays out in all aspects of life and in particular the lives of the more vulnerable people we work with. I highly recommend Deanne as a clinical supervisor for clinicians at any stage of their journey, from student to highly experienced clinician on the front line, to managers juggling systems

Deanne provides a safe space to debrief and seek support, and brings new ideas and ways of thinking into every session. Deanne helped me to see the bigger picture and get clarity during many times when I felt ‘stuck’ on an Issue. Deanne’s approach to supervision, clinical experience and proficiency in supporting managers Is exceptional. Deanne’s knowledge and expertise in social work and also in management has allowed me to have my supervision needs fully met in supportive, thought provoking sessions. I highly recommend Deanne as a supervisor to anyone who wants to grow their clinical/managerial skills, knowledge and understanding.

Deanne is the first external supervisor that I have had in my career and I must say it has certainly been a positive experience. Deanne provides me with a safe place to consult and debrief on current and past practice and she has particularly useful insights into ethical and values dilemmas. I really appreciate Deanne’s knowledge and skills in assisting me to critically reflect on my practice and to help me make the links to relevant theories. I have had a combination of face to face and Skype/Scopia sessions and have found it easy to form a supportive and positive relationship with Deanne.