Coach Supervision

What is Coach Supervision?

Coach supervision is a form of professional guidance for professional coaches, aimed at improving their practice through reflection on their work, their interactions with clients, and their professional development. It helps them enhance their skills and develop self-directed learning, so they can coach more effectively and better serve their clients.

NOTE: Coach supervision is not the same as coaching the coach, or mentoring or mentor coaching.

It is:

• A reflective, structured process supporting development and coaching effectiveness.
• A space to explore patterns, mindsets, and relational dynamics.
• An opportunity to experiment with new approaches using supervisory models, intuition, and imagination.
• A way to deepen understanding of both your client-system and your role within it—transforming your coaching practice.

Like in all human-centered professions, supervision supports ongoing professional development and quality assurance—coaching is no exception.

 I also write about the growing field of coach supervision. Together with Louis van Kessel, we wrote a scientific article “Supervision for Coaches: Insights into International Developments” (June 2023).  Since then we are in the process of writing a new handbook “Supervision for Coaches” for coaches and supervisors as well as their  professional  bodies. It is expected to be published  in September 2025 in Dutch language by publisher Kloosterhof. Thereafter the handbook will  be translated in English and adapted for the international audience.

How can coach supervision support you?

• As a coach, you are the most important tool in your coaching practice.Coach supervision helps uncover your blind spots.
• It offers a safe space for reflection and insight.
• Supervision can re-energize your coaching work.
• We explore the broader stakeholder-system and the wider professional ecosystem
• You may face role-related questions such as coaching vs. therapy, training, consultancy, or leadership. I help you clarify the professional boundaries.

Supervision with Sonja Vlaar:

I offer both individual and group coach-supervision.

I supervise (external and internal) coaches, professionals in human-centered roles, HR and L&D advisors, entrepreneurial leaders and also students of HAN’s International Social Work program.
As an LVSC-registered supervisor, my sessions are rewarded with permanent educations points for (re)certification with LVSC, SKJ and other professional bodies.

•  LVSC certified  supervisor (2002). (Credential Identifier: ID S11329H since 2003 and re-registration in 2008, 2013, 2018 eand expected in  September 2023). LVSC is a member of the European ANSE
• Since 2019 active member of the  Global Supervisor’s Network (GSN). Memebers of this network  are certified coach supervisors  form all over the world such as India, US, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, South Afrika, Kenia, China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Vietnam, Oman, and Turkey, and also European countries: Spain, Poland, Portugal, France, Finland, Hungary, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Zwitserland, and the UK.
• From 2016 – 2022 active at the international platform for professional coaches of World Business & Executive Coaching (WBECS / Coaching.com. I was rewarded as one of their 10 most successful facilitators for sessions with small groups of coaches.
• Related articles: Supervisie voor coaches, zicht op de internationale ontwikkeling  (Louis van Kessel en Sonja Vlaar, juni 2023); ChatGPT voor reflectie-rapport  (Sonja Vlaar, Feb 2023).