Supervisor Guide – Using the Concrete Experience Capture Template

1. Purpose of the Template

• This template is designed for supervisees to complete before supervision.

• Its purpose is to help practitioners capture a specific Concrete Experience (CE) clearly, so supervision can begin with a shared foundation.

• It ensures the session starts with what actually happened, before moving into reflection, theory, or strategies

2. Instructions for Supervisees (to be given in advance)

• Complete the template soon after a session, role play, or observation, while the details are fresh.

• Choose one specific event or moment that stood out to you (challenging, uncertain, or insightful).

• Be descriptive: capture what happened, what you did, what you noticed, and how you felt.

• Keep it anonymised and in line with confidentiality obligations under the Family Law Act 1975 (ss.10H–10J).

• Bring your completed template to supervision and be ready to share a short summary.

3. How Supervisors Introduce It

“I’d like you to use this capture tool before supervision. It helps you think through one moment in practice so we can start with the concrete details. From there, we’ll move into reflection, analysis, and planning together.”

4. Prompts Supervisors Can Give to Support Pre-Completion

When setting the task, you might ask supervisees to:

• Ground the choice: “Pick one moment where you felt challenged, stuck, or unsure.”

• Sequence the story: “Note the order of events as they happened — step by step.”

• Include emotions: “Write down how you felt in the moment, not just what you did.”

• Add perspectives: “Think about how the parties (or an observer) might have experienced it.”

5. Supervision Flow (Using the Completed Template)

1. Supervisee presents the Concrete Experience – they read or summarise their notes.

2. Supervisor validates – create safety, acknowledge actions + feelings (no analysis yet).

3. Shift into reflection – supervisor transitions:

   “Now that we’ve captured what happened, let’s reflect on what stood out for you in this experience.”

6. Do’s and Don’ts for Supervisors

Do:

• Encourage supervisees to use the template regularly, even if they don’t bring every experience to supervision.

• Validate the emotions expressed in the Concrete Experience.

• Keep the focus on one captured experience.

Don’t:

• Ask supervisees to complete it during the supervision session (it loses immediacy).

• Let the discussion drift into interpretation before the Concrete Experience is fully explored.

🔑 Summary
The Concrete Experience Capture Template is a pre-supervision tool for supervisees. By completing it beforehand, mediators arrive ready to engage deeply in reflective supervision, with the “story of practice” already clear and documented.

Download the template and instructions here. Kolb Concrete Experience Capture Template.docx