Fostering Creative Problem Solving

My friend's dad once said. 'I don't know, does that answer your question?' I know you may think that this is rather an odd reply, perhaps if you know the culture, maybe similar to the reply of a comedian such as Billy Connolly or Chick Murray.

We don't have the answers to all the questions, only perhaps some, if we have experienced something ourselves or learned from others.

When you meet a supervisee, they often come to you with knots. Knots in their relationship. Knots in their work place. I often think the key to be effective is an acknowledgement that you do not have the answer to their predicament. Nevertheless, you can say to them that you are prepared to make yourself vulnerable enough to walk beside them. To listen to what is going on, and promise to be honest with them.

Cross-professional supervision introduces new perspectives that can challenge assumptions, offering fresh insights into work. A supervisor might be more likely to ask questions that push the supervisee to reflect more deeply or view a situation differently. This can encourage honesty as the supervisee might feel the need to confront uncomfortable truths or acknowledge areas of growth or failure that they might have overlooked otherwise.

By using The Knot poem below, the supervisor can gently guide the supervisee through the tangled and sometimes overwhelming thoughts or emotions they might be experiencing. The poem not only encourages reflective thinking but also provides a metaphorical framework for understanding pastoral care as a process of untying and unraveling difficult situations with patience, collaboration, and insight. It helps create an atmosphere where the supervisee feels supported in confronting their challenges honestly, knowing that reflection and mutual guidance lead to personal and professional growth.

Pastoral Supervision can sometimes untie the knot

The Knot

When problems come in tangled threads,

And doubts weave thick, a weight in heads,

We gather here, a common ground,

To ease the burdens so tightly wound.

Each voice a hand, each thought a guide,

Through knots, we gently turn aside.

We listen close, we breathe, and find,

A thread that’s clear—a pathway kind.

Together, patient, calm, and true,

We learn what each alone can’t view.

Solutions rise, not forced, but free,

As tangled knots release and flee.

In this circle of trust, we weave,

A quiet strength, a chance to leave,

With lighter hearts, with paths anew,

In solving yours, I solve mine too.

Graeme Bell 2024