The Conversation That Won’t Stay Silent: The Erotic in Relational Transactional Analysis Supervision – Carole Shadbolt
In this engaging recorded webinar, Carole Shadbolt explores one of the most charged — and too often unspoken — dimensions of our work: the presence of erotic forces within the supervisory relationship.
Drawing on her chapter, “The Disturbance and Comfort of Forbidden Conversations (Sexuality and Erotic Forces in Relational Psychotherapy Supervision)” in Working with Sexual Attraction in Psychotherapy Practice and Supervision(eds. van Rijn & Lukac-Greenwood), Carole shines a light on the subtle yet powerful ways erotic dynamics shape the relational space — whether they are acknowledged or not.
Erotic forces are ever-present in therapeutic and supervisory encounters, yet so often they remain hidden behind silence, avoidance, or shame. In this recorded session, Carole invites you to reflect on:
- How can we recognise the erotic when it emerges in supervision?
- How might we bring it into dialogue in a way that deepens our understanding and strengthens ethical practice?
- What happens when we choose not to stay silent?
Grounded in a relational feminist two-person philosophy, this conversation offers a safe-enough framework for grappling with the real-life dilemmas that arise when the erotic enters the room — from unspoken desire and power imbalances to risk, shame, and the ethical complexities of self-disclosure.
Through the clinical concepts of the Transgressive Edge and the Liminal Space, Carole shares practical ways to engage with these challenging dynamics — so they can be worked through, rather than avoided.
Whether you are an experienced supervisor, a practitioner in training, or a relational therapist wanting to expand your capacity to meet what is unspoken, this recording invites you to deepen your courage, clinical insight, and ethical grounding by revisiting this thought-provoking conversation.
✅ Watch anytime, anywhere — as you explore the conversations that refuse to stay silent — and discover how they can transform your relational practice.
✅ Earn CPD — let us know once you’ve completed the recording to receive your certificate.
This webinar was originally recorded on the 17th July 2025.
Video lecture – 1hr and 40 mins
Carole Shadbolt lives and practices in the United Kingdom. In a long career, she originally trained as a social worker and worked both as a generic and as a specialist psychiatric social worker at The Maudsley Hospital, part of the Institute of Psychiatry in London. She qualified as a Transactional Analyst Metanoia under the tutelage of Petruska Clarkson, Sue Fish and Maria Gilbert. Carole worked as a tutor for many years at Metanoia Institute on their MSc in Relational Transactional Analysis programme. She maintains an independent psychotherapy and supervisory practice in Oxfordshire. A relational psychotherapist by instinct, Carole is a published author and a founder member of the International Association of Relational Transactional Analysis and serves on their Steering group. She has been “out” since the late seventies, and her abiding interest is in LGBTQ + issues and diversity.
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