IJSP Number 8, 2026

International Journal of Supervision in Psychotherapy, Number 8, 2026 Page | 101 Maryna is undertaking online work with a support group of Ukrainian army volunteers. The volunteers have been clearing bombed cities in Ukraine, moving buried bodies out of rubble, thus facing traumatic experiences leading to burnout and excessive drinking. She would have normally been a co-facilitator but her colleague, usually taking the lead, was on leave, so on this occasion she was left on her own to hold the support group. Maryna brought the experience of anxiety to supervision to help her understand her overwhelming feelings. In this vignette, we observe how she struggles to feel that she has provided good enough support. It is her fear, the fear of the support workers, and collective fear in the horrors of war that we are working with. In addition, Maryna is now living in Germany and, like many of her compatriots, struggling with feelings of guilt about leaving Ukraine during this war. In identifying the possibility of secondary trauma there is a parallel process and we can see how Maryna is emotionally deregulating. My intervention comes from listening and sensing my body responses, in my kinaesthetic reaction, where I offer co-regulation to establish safety and connection. I use the Small World technique, one that has its origin in children’s play developed from sand-play, sand-tray and drama therapy. Butté and Hoo suggest the Small World technique offers a helpful view of distancing when emotions may be overwhelming [31]. This technique will provide Maryna with aesthetic distance, as she had mentioned at the start how troubled she felt on her own in her last support group. The action method of the Small World technique requires small objects being placed on a plain background, creating a scene with objects that reflect the supervisory enquiry. There is an element of sociometry that enables us to observe a quantitative method of measuring social relationships. The Small World offers Maryna much-needed time to reflect. Using the Seven-Eyed model of supervision and the Double Matrix, I invite Maryna to explore her area of concern. We formulate the question based on the information she provided, about her feelings of being inadequate in managing the support group. The supervision questions arise in the early engaging stages of check-in. Although Maryna’s English is not fluent, we communicate adequately, and she can make herself understood to me. The vignette describes the unfolding of the Small World technique with Maryna: a chance to unpack her thinking and feeling around her work. We can explore further why she struggled to hold the last session alone when normally she would have been in a co- supporting role. Maryna spoke about feeling ‘helpless’ and in a ‘hopeless situation’ where transference and counter-transference feelings were held in the frame, provoking somatic responses during supervision. Their trauma touched her vulnerability – a process otherwise known as secondary trauma. The supervisory question was “Why was it so difficult to hold this group”? From the start, as Maryna began presenting her work, she addressed her difficulties in holding the group as she would normally have been co-facilitating this work but she was left holding the group while her colleague was on leave. We can see that Maryna felt the burden, fear and horror that were deeply embodied. There was a clear somatic reaction. In this case study, we see how Maryna’s s focus on her group overrides her self-focus as she becomes overwhelmed with empathy for the Ukrainian support workers. I listened while I attuned to her kinaesthetically. I saw her breathing change and her voice became more fragmented and her face redden. The physiological changes were clear. I could see a wave of anxiety consuming her while she struggled to string words together. In this instant, her English went into abeyance.