Another PDE recounts his use of psychodynamic concepts.

During his work with the NQSW the PDE moved to another team but continued to provide the ASYE support and assessment, with line management supervision being assumed within the original team.

Acknowledging the comfortable but also ‘beguiling’ nature of his relationship with the NQSW, with whom he shared various identities, and the guilt he felt about ‘abandoning’ her, the PDE questioned whether he had joined with the NQSW in a ‘collusive huddle’ in accepting her increasing complaints about the excessive workload and lack of support in her home team (Hughes and Pengelly 1997).

Drawing on the victim/persecutor/rescuer drama triangle (Karpman 1968) he suggested that he was playing the role of ‘rescuer’ and paused their supervision to reflect on the dynamics of their interactions. He thought that this was valuable both in supporting the supervisee to develop ‘healthier coping strategies’ (Galpin, Bigmore and Parker 2012) and in modelling how she might understand the dynamics of her relationship with a particular service user. It resulted in a three-way meeting with the line manager to address the issues raised by the NQSW about her workload.