Tessa Moriarty

About me

I am a Credentialed Mental Health Nurse and Psychotherapist with over 30-years’ experience, across public, private and primary mental health and drug and alcohol settings. I’ve worked in clinical, management, leadership and psychotherapy roles. In recent years I work predominantly in the primary mental health services space, as a mental health nurse consultant undertaking clinical governance and quality activities. I have a caseload of individual and group clinical supervision and reflective practice clients. I write, blog and podcast on mental health and wellbeing topics for Nurse & Midwife Support and The Nurse Break on a regular basis. I have also written on a range of wellbeing topics for On The Record and the Black Dog Institute.

My experience

Clinical supervision and reflective practice have been integral to all the roles I’ve held, and I am currently writing a book on my life’s work as a Clinical Supervisor. I’ve established clinical supervision frameworks, policies and training programs in a number of organisations. Most of my work has been within and/or supporting acute bed-based services, community and outreach teams and primary health settings (including First Nations Peoples organisations). Throughout my career, I have sustained a high level of commitment and passion for the process and practice of clinical supervision and reflective practice and have facilitated individual and group sessions (across all service sectors) for both nursing specific and multi-disciplinary teams. My own clinical supervision with a Mental Health Nurse and Family Therapist in private practice has spanned almost all of my career. It is in this working relationship that I trust - in the reflective space of supervision. I have a background in Clinical Quality and Risk, and I am also a trained Gestalt-Relational Psychotherapist.

My current role/work

My current work/role is as an independent clinical supervision/reflective practice provider and Credentialed Mental Health Nurse Consultant. I work part-time, providing clinical supervision, organisational consulting and the preparation of credentialing and professional applications for Mental Health Nurses, Nurse Practitioners and Allied Health professionals. I also facilitate Wellbeing and Self-care professional development sessions.

My training

My formal training as a clinical supervisor occurred in my earlier years - predominantly in public sector services, and I have facilitated numerous clinical supervision training programs during that time and since then. As I will indicate in the next section my model of clinical supervision is grounded within a psychotherapeutic model as it applies to supervision.

My approach to supervision

My style and approach as a clinical supervisor is grounded in both my practice and philosophy as a Mental Health Nurse, but also in the theoretical underpinnings and values of Relational Gestalt. I work to facilitate the supervisee's increased understanding and development of their role, the clients they work with and the settings in which they work and live. Context is everything and a deeper understanding is gained through a view of the whole

and the relationships and connectedness we have to people, place, and what is going on around us. My style is facilitatory, supportive, respectful and honest. I work with curiosity, genuineness, attention to process and integrity.