Stage 1 — Concrete Experience (CE)
What is it?
Concrete Experience is the starting point of Kolb’s cycle: a real event the practitioner personally did, saw, or felt. No theories yet—just the experience as it occurred in practice.
In FDR supervision, the story of practice is the doorway into learning.
Why it matters in FDR supervision
Beginning with Concrete Experience keeps learning grounded in real client work (or realistic simulations). It surfaces the interpersonal dynamics, procedural choices, and the mediator’s felt experience—raw material we’ll later reflect on, theorise, and test.
What “counts” as a Concrete Experience in supervision
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Actual case vignette (anonymised) – short narration of issues, steps taken, and immediate outcomes.
E.g., “One party dominated early; I paused, reaffirmed ground rules, but the other withdrew.” -
Role play or simulation – re-enactment of a moment you want feedback on (opening, shuttle entry, reframing).
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Direct observation – live observation or recording of a section of a role play brought back to supervision.
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Reflective artefact – brief journal note or debrief card capturing actions + feelings during / after a session.
Example (supervision dialogue starter)
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Mediator (CE): “In a parenting matter, both parents refused to speak directly. I considered early private sessions but worried it would entrench positionality. I felt stuck and anxious about time.”
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Supervisor’s stance at CE: “Walk me through the sequence—what happened first, next, then? What did you do and what were you noticing in yourself and in the room?”
Supervisor micro-prompts (stay in CE—no analysis yet)
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“Give me the moment-by-moment of the first 10 minutes.”
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“Exact words you used for your opening frame?”
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“What did you observe in each party’s body language / affect?”
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“Where in your body did you feel ‘stuck’?”
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“What did you try; what did you stop yourself from trying?”
Boundaries for this stage (to keep it ‘concrete’)
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Describe, don’t interpret. (Swap “He was manipulative” → “He interrupted 4 times; voice volume increased.”)
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Actions + observations + felt-sense only. Save why it happened or what it means for the next stage.
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Brief and specific. Aim for 2–3 minutes, 6–8 key beats of the event.
Common pitfalls (and how to prevent them)
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Jumping to solutions/theory too early → Use the micro-prompts above; time-box analysis for the next stage.
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Hindsight editing (“I should have…”) → Ask for verbatim phrases and actual turn-taking.
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Over-generalising → Anchor to one defined incident (who/what/when/words).
Practice standard & ethics reminders (for supervision CE)
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Anonymise client details; avoid unique identifiers.
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Confidentiality in supervision; use consented recordings only.
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Trauma-aware stance: notice physiological cues; allow pauses; ground before proceeding.