Professional Development
Holding the Holders: The hidden cost of supervisory practice

This PD will explore the cost of constant exposure to the traumatic stories of loss
and tragedy brought to us by those we supervise or mentor. Bearing witness to
others’ suffering can erode our core beliefs and overall wellbeing. We will explore the
challenge of caring for others without losing ourselves. Although attention is often
paid to how the work we do affects our supervisees or mentees, the supervisors’ and mentors’ experiences of cumulative trauma, vicarious trauma, and compassion
fatigue frequently go unrecognised. This secondary traumatic stress can also affect
how we experience God amid the suffering encountered in the work to which we
believe we are called.

21 May , 2026

7pm-9pm AEST

$30 for CA Member |  $80 for CCAA members  | $120 non-member

Presenter: Julie Nixon
Vice-President of the Christian Counsellors Association

Julie is an experienced counsellor who has worked in broad clinical settings where
she has assisted children, adolescents, couples, and individuals. She is a registered
supervisor with PACFA (Psychotherapy & Counselling Federation of Australia) and
CCAA (Christian Counsellors Association of Australia), supporting clinicians, pastors,
missionaries, and chaplains. Her doctoral thesis examines the result of traumatic
experiences on missionaries, with the effects of trauma being a core of her current
work.  With a teaching background Julie has taught in primary and secondary
schools as well as in a Higher Education context. Julie is the Vice-President of the
Christian Counsellors Association holding the chairs of Ethics and Training. Julie’s
qualifications are: PhD, M.Couns, Cert Supervision, Cert Art Therapy, Cert Couples Couns, Dip Teach.