• Ruth has a gentle, non-threatening style which encouraged our team to be able to start    talking about our experiences.  Her calm, still and reflective approach was also particularly helpful when team members were exporing emotive issues.

• The creative of 'check in' and 'check out' was helpful in encouraging everyone to share their thoughts, and a good way for the team members to be made more aware of their colleagues current frame of mind.

• Ruth's extensive experience and knowledge enabled her to understand our group dynamics from a variety of perspectives, whilst also enabling her to be flexible and adaptable in her response to us.

• Team members valued Ruth's perception and intervention in challenging the team in order to open up discussion, and supporting us in considering and exporing projection and transference (with our clinical cases, within the team, and also for ourselves).

• Alongside the group supervision, Ruth also supported us seperately, offering supportive and reflective individual sessions when required (to explore more personal issues).

• Although Ruth supported and challenged us to explore issues, she was also sensitive enough to recognise and respect how deeply we were prepared and willing to explore.

The team are all agreed it has been a pleasure to have worked with Ruth and wish her well for the future.

I have supervised this vibrant and supportive theapist for a number of years, and her ability to work with severe trauma and abuse is borne out by the changes that her clients make in their lives and relationships.  She connects and engages with individuals in a way that is always respectful and professional, but that allows for alternative viewpoints and ways of being.

Ruth is exceedingly knowledgeable about therapeutic practice, but adds to her repertoire with a great love of music and interest in philosophy.  So I would recommend to you, this out of the ordinary, interesting person.

Glynis Harflett

SRN, RMN, CPN Cert.

September 2008

Ruth Ryder has acted in a supervisory capacity with my self over ten years.  Initially in peer supervision at Exeter Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Service then as independent supervisor for a period with my private counselling practice.  As I developed personally and professionally she was able to support and supervise my academic work whilst training to be a Registered Mental Health Nurse.  Ruth is still actively supervising my professional development as I convert my Diploma in Nursing to a Degree in Nursing.

Ruth is an extremely competent supervisor who takes a holistic approach to supervision.  She is very aware of how external factors can impact upon the therapeutic relationship between practicioner and client.  Whilst Ruth will encourage exporation of these factors and the impingement they make within the process of caring she is very clear about the difference between supervision and therapy.  Ruth is able to encourage such exploration to remain focused on the therapeutic relationship.

In the time that Ruth has supervised my work I have found her to be supportive, attentive and not afraid to challenge thinking and concepts enabling myself as a practitoner to reach a deeper awareness of the therapeutic relationship and process.  Ruth is also aware of ethical issues and concerns that she is not afraid to address in supervision.

I have found Ruth to be a warm person and someone with whom it is safe to be vunerable, so that it is easy to bring to supervision the difficulties, frustrations and confusion that can be present in the therapeutic relationship especially when working with people who are experiencing high levels of distress and who may be at risk.  Ruth is able to maintain a clear perspective on the therapeutic process empowering the supervisee to regain a clearer view of the work being undertaken.

When needed Ruth is able to offer valuable suggestions as to how a different approach or way of working may enable the client to move forward.  However she is also able to acknowledge that the practitioner knows the client and is able to discern from any suggestions what may or may not be appropriate.

Ruth is not afraid to challenge the practitioner on issues that are important and would not be afraid to say if she felt that it was inappropriate for a practitioner to work with a particular client.

In my time as a supervisee of Ruth Ryder I have found her to be professional, reflective, thought provoking and helpful.  I greatly value her input into my therapeutic practice.

Pam Spencer

B.A.  P.G.C.E Dip Counselling, Dip. Nursing (RMN)

September 2008