Chaplain's Stories
Jesters and Confessors: Two ancient models for reflection on contemporary supervision practice
Presented by John Capper, Vice-President of AAOS (Australasian Association of Supervision)
Thursday 23 July 2026
11am-12:30pm and 7-8:30pm (Sydney time)
Online
Modern Supervision is dated from early twentieth century work-based reflective practices developed in social work (Thank you, Mary Richmond). It became more ‘client-focussed’ through engagement with psychoanalytical models in the mid century. Its development has shifted from oversight to insight, from analytical to integrative models, from instruction to learning, and from technical to ethical and cultural competencies. Pastoral supervision has also drawn on the Christian ministry traditions and from areas such as meditation and spiritual direction. This short seminar cracks open two ancient traditions, one more secular and one more religious—the court jester and the confessor, to find different perspectives, some perhaps forgotten skills, and some fuzzy mirrors in which today’s supervisors might reflect on their persona and their practice.
Joy, Hope and Suffering are the applied subjects that (the Reverend Associate Professor, to give him the full titles) John Mark Capper continues to teach after his retirement from tertiary education leadership. John’s interests span Christology and trinitarian thought; the uses of IT and AI in education; and the one wife, four daughters and two granddaughters with whom he shares life.
John supervises individuals online across a number of fields, including ministry, education, leadership, governance and ministry, including chaplaincy. John is involved in higher education consulting and educational and charitable organisation governance (He is a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.)
In 2025, John completed studies in the Master of Professional Supervision (which he promises the seven women noted above will be his last degree). He is the Vice-President of Australasian Association of Supervision and is a member of the committee of the Australian Professional Pastoral Supervision Network. A bibliophile and sesquipedaliaphiliac, John has proven successful also in pogonotrophy.
This Connection and Content PD Workshop is open to any CA Members: Students, Interns, Supervisors or Mentors. There is no cost. John’s morning PD is repeated in the evening.
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