Supervision in ministry which is related to controversial areas of grief and loss is extremely important for the person who has the experience in pastoral care. The problem is in the fact that the person who is affected by the stress-related ministry or who has personal problems cannot help in coping with grief and loss as well as other traumatic experiences. On the contrary, receiving supervision, it is possible to reflect on the experience and to analyze the mistakes in order to choose the right path to follow. From this point, the benefits of receiving supervision after ministering in areas related to grief and loss are in the opportunity to reflect on the stressful experience, to understand the details of the experience or situation and the personal reaction to it, to learn from mistakes and victories, and to transform the personal vision of the situation.
I can state that the supervision in ministry related to grief and loss is necessary because pastors can experience difficulties in overcoming the consequences of the stressful ministry. While reflecting on the experience in the field, I can rely on the opportunity to receive effective advice and support. The main benefit of the supervision is also in the opportunity to understand the personal reaction and aspects of the experience in detail. I can state that a supervisor can become that person who leads me in my personal development and who leads me to understand the deep aspects of problems. The areas of grief and loss are those ones which affect pastors significantly, and the lack of experience can lead to damaging the person who ministers the other people. That is why effective supervision based on trust and respect is necessary to cope with the problem.
In order to adequately learn from mistakes and victories, I need effective supervision to conclude about the direction of ministry. Discussions of the situations or cases with the supervisor are important to reflect on the experience and to learn from it. As a result, I receive the opportunity not only to improve my approach but also to understand myself. This experience associated with supervision can be discussed as the first step to transforming me. It is possible to determine what skills and areas to develop and what spheres need to be discussed with the supervisor more effectively. Transformation based on reflection is possible when the supervisor provides the support, and I can see myself as a developing and growing personality.
One more important benefit of supervision is an opportunity to receive the qualified advice which is not associated with any bias. The problem is in the fact that the ministry related to the areas of grief and loss is most controversial, and much experience is necessary to cope with the challenge. That is why mistakes or doubts can be observed. In this case, the pastor affected by the experience needs a safe place to discuss the issue without any judgments and to receive the advice in resolving any dilemma.
Referring to benefits of supervision followed the ministry in the area of grief and loss, I can state that it is a chance to feel support, to reflect on the personal problems and issues in ministry, to transform, to avoid isolation and burnout associated with the traumatic experience. Thus, pastors need supervision to learn from their experiences, to work with their actions, feelings, and emotions.