Meeting - 7 August 2023

Guest Speaker: Jen Collins

Topic: Essential Insights 

Jen Collins has worked in the helping field since 2001, beginning as a volunteer crisis counsellor, and facilitator and coordinator of Seasons Growing through Grief when it first came to Auckland. Finding that this was her area of passion Jen went on to study social work, majoring in working with children and families, and further study in post graduate professional supervision, most currently being a post graduate diploma in science specializing in applied psychology.
Jen has worked as a care and protection social worker, residential social worker, community social worker, women’s and children’s health social worker, a residential services team leader and specialist practitioner. Her roles have spanned across government, health and non-government agencies giving her a broad lens of different social work practice.
Jen has a passion for trauma informed, attachment-based practice, social justice and advocating work. She has delivered workshops to schools on how to be trauma informed alongside agency professional development in therapeutic programs, rational detachment, relationship-based work and coached many students and staff.
As a supervisor Jen provides a committed time and place for her supervisees to explore professional issues, concerns or celebrations, working in a collaborative relationship manner. Using a reflective practice model Jen encourages supervisees to take a moment to explore thoughts and feelings related to families, be them positive or negative, and issues that the supervisee is managing; working as a team to understand these and work out the next steps to take. Jen understands that supervision is a sacred time and so can work from her home or where the supervisee feels comfortable, ensuring that supervision time is uninterrupted and regular.