Using insights from a new attachment paradigm, this paper defines supervision as a professional care-seeking and care-giving relationship, the aim of which is to maintain emotional regulation and the capacity for exploration in the care-giver. It provides attachment-based definitions of both formal and peer supervision and explores the impact of work with what is frequently chaotic and deeply disturbing material. Work with complex post-trauma states is seen as challenging existing frameworks for practice in a way which can be experienced as undermining of established competencies by both supervisor and supervisee. The author explores and identifies factors that can affect professional care-seeking and/or care-giving in supervision and considers ways forward.