IJSP Number 8, 2026

International Journal of Supervision in Psychotherapy, Number 8, 2026 Page | 12 supervisees’ sense of therapist identity [39, 40, 41]. As facilitators of learning, we do indeed studiously strive to actuate and actualize both goals in our supervisory work, to foster development in our novice, beginner professionals by engaging them in a process of transformative learning [42]: where from the essence of their very person and personhood, the formation of a transformative professional self takes root and begins to emerge [43, 44, 45]. 3.2 JOYS OF TRANSFORMATION And in our facilitating these novice phase, beginner professionals’ development, is it not this very process of ‘transformation’ that we see (or very much hope to see) repeat itself time and time again with each and every beginner trainee? It is where they courageously journey forward into that liminal space --- that unknown, anxiety-provoking, painful, ambiguous place of being in between, of ‘not being here’ (or where I was when I started) and ‘not being there’ (where I want to be) but being ‘on the way to getting there’. It is where the supervisee learner’s ‘vulnerability’ [21] takes center stage, is put on full display. But what a joy it is to see when that shift forward starts to occur, when those very novice phase professional trainees begin to really ‘get it’, begin to transform before our very eyes in ever so small and then ever so big ways, to see them begin to gain confidence and perspective and skills and style, to see their magnificent evolution unfold, to see them move from a deeply doubtful place of “Can I…?” to the candidly convinced place of “Yes, I can…!” My joy comes in seeing their joy of journeying to conviction, where they evolve to the point of saying oh so loudly and proudly, “Yes, I am a helper; yes, I am a facilitator; yes, I am a therapist.” What a most wonderful, wonderful moment that is for me, joyous and thrilling beyond compare --- to bear witness to that developmental process progressing, to bear witness to that process of therapist becoming being fulfilled, to have the honor of contributing to that process of therapist growth in some way --- how blessed I am to have been and still be part of such a grand and glorious generative journey [43, 44, 45]. 4. CONCLUSION OR BEGINNING? And at the very heart of it all, everything again always comes back to this: what I want most dearly in supervision --- to be a good clinical supervisor. I have been enriched beyond measure by my supervisees; whatever I may have given them, they have given me back a hundredfold. And while I have always wished for them transformation, I can assure you that they have transformed me in the process, too. For it all, I am grateful, I am thankful. I am so very happy to be able to share my joy about supervision with you --- that there is indeed joy in the journey. I am surely a true-blue believer in the power of supervision and, if I have but one supervision prayer, it would be this: As a supervisor, may I always strive to instill faith, inspire hope, and invite wonder in my supervisees. Long may it be so.