A transtheoretical model of clinical supervision.

The purpose of this article is to introduce a transtheoretical model of clinical supervision for professional psychology. The various stages and processes of change inherent in the transtheoretical psychotherapy model (Prochaska & DiClemente, 1982, 1984, 1986; Prochaska & Norcross, 2007) are assessed and applied to clinical supervision. Specifically, relevant literature is examined; supervisee stages of change (SSC) and supervisor processes of change (SPC) are introduced and discussed; and existent models of supervision are contextually compared to the proposed transtheoretical model. Strategies and recommendations for implementing and researching a transtheoretical approach to clinical supervision are also provided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The supervision genogram: A tool for preparing supervisors-in-training.

The purpose of this article is to introduce the supervision genogram as a training tool that can be implemented in supervisor training. The supervision genogram is a unique training tool that may be used to enhance supervisors'-in-training self-awareness and understanding of the supervisory process. Psychological trainers who are responsible for training supervisors may also find that the supervision genogram can aid them in assessing the needs of supervisors-in-training and in creating corresponding supervisory environments and experiences. A detailed account of how to develop and process the supervision genogram is given. An overview of supervision genogram symbols and a completed supervision genogram are also provided. Implications for training, such as flexibility of application, ethical and professional issues, and developmental considerations for using this tool are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Competency in integrative psychotherapy: Perspectives on training and supervision.

Increasingly, many psychotherapists identify with an integrative approach to psychotherapy. In recent years, more attention has been directed toward the operationalization and evaluation of competence in professional psychology and health care service delivery. Aspects of integrative psychotherapy competency may differ from competency in other psychotherapy orientations, although convergence is more often the case. Despite the potential differences, there exist very few formal training programs or guidelines to systematically guide clinicians in developing a competent integrative practice. This paper attempts to distill the essential elements of competent integrative psychotherapy practice and focuses on how these might be developed in training and supervision. We address most of these complex issues from a specific integrative perspective: principle-based assimilative integration. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Processes and outcomes of psychotherapists' personal therapy: Replication and extension 20 years later.

In this replication and extension of a national survey of psychotherapists conducted in 1987, American psychologists (n = 219), counselors (n = 191), and social workers (n = 192) reported in 2007 on the processes and outcomes of their personal therapy experiences. Of the 85% who sought therapy at least once, women, men, and members of all three professions were equally as likely to have received personal treatment. Their top reasons for seeking therapy were marital–couple distress (20%), depression (13%), need for self-understanding (12%), and anxiety–stress (10%). Approximately 24% used psychotropic medication in combination with personal therapy. More than 90% of therapists reported positive outcomes across multiple domains. The modal lasting lessons from personal treatment related to therapist reliability, skill, and empathy. The results are tentatively compared with those obtained in 1987, thus chronicling the evolution of personal therapy among psychologists and social workers during the past 20 years. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Opportunity amidst challenge: Reflections of a Latina supervisor.

This paper discusses the experiences of a Latina supervisor who practices from a multiculturally competent framework, including cultural issues, ethical issues, and organizational issues. Examples are provided throughout the paper to illustrate the flexibility and sensitivity required when attempting to navigate the interaction of multicultural identities in supervision. Reflections are then offered as they relate to the experiences of the Latina supervisor, including the salience of sociocultural background, the assumption of multicultural competence based on a non-White identity, the importance of developing a strong supervisory alliance when encouraging the development of multicultural competence, and how delivering multiculturally competent supervision is an opportunity to serve the field as an agent of change dedicated to social justice (Rollock & Gordon, 2000). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Representations of the supervisory dialogue and the development of psychotherapists.

The primary aim of this study was to investigate the ways in which therapists-in-training construct and use mental representations of their relationships with their supervisors in the service of their own professional development. A total of 115 trainees (75% of whom were psychodynamically oriented) completed The Supervisory Representation Inventory, a network of measures designed to assess the forms, functions, and phenomenological properties of internalized representations of that relationship. Results indicate that supervisees tend to evoke representations of their supervisors' spoken words, vocal qualities, and the settings in which they have met; that they evoke these representations to better formulate clinical interventions, especially those perceived as painful or difficult for patients to hear; and that these representations are especially likely to occur when patients behave in ways consistent with a supervisor's view or, when the supervisee is alone and thinking about a patient that has been discussed in supervision. Findings support the hypothesis that representations of the verbal and nonverbal aspects of the supervisory dialogue play an integral role in the acquisition of the skills and professional identity of a psychotherapist. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cultural influences on the process of conducting psychotherapy: Personal reflections of an ethnic minority psychologist.

I was asked to reflect how being a member of an ethnically diverse minority group, that is, Japanese American, may have influenced my clinical practice as a psychologist and psychotherapist. I first define the various facets of my “diversity status,” followed by an offering of reflections on how being a member of this group impacted both myself as a therapist and my clients. I conclude with several general recommendations geared to enhance a positive therapeutic alliance and client outcome. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Knowing the self: Building a bridge from basic research to clinical practice.

The articles under discussion give promise that basic research information about the self can be translated into useful information for the clinical practitioner. Several issues were delineated that require more careful attention and research: (a) The self needs to be more clearly defined in both basic and clinical literatures; (b) the process of self-experiencing must be studied in conjunction with the study of the acquisition, functions, and developmental trajectories of self-concepts; and (c) the complexities of identity formation in multicultural societies must be factored into future research designs. Psychotherapists need to be aware that many patients have internalized self-related ideas from several different cultures and subcultures, and puzzling out these culture-based conflicts may become a significant focus of psychotherapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Advances in psychotherapy supervision: Introduction.

Psychologists tend to take psychotherapy supervision for granted. This is especially puzzling when they discover that 55% of academic clinicians spent between 10% and 29% of their time in supervision and another 7% claim to spend over 30% of their time so engaged. As recently as 10 years ago, few and scattered materials existed in the literature to guide the conscientious supervisor, but more materials have recently become available, including books, a journal devoted to supervision, and workshops offered at regional and national conventions. Given these developments, it is fitting that psychologists take stock of the field of psychotherapy supervision. Toward this end, several people who have worked in a particular area were asked to prepare either a review of the area or a seminal treatment of a topic in the area. The articles that follow are the result. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The impact of psychotherapy supervision on client outcome: A critical examination of 2 decades of research.

The supervision of counselors-in-training has become an important area of psychotherapy research. Through supervision, one expects that trainees will gain the knowledge and clinical skills needed to work effectively with clients. Much research has been dedicated to understanding trainee skill development through supervision, but relatively few studies in the literature have addressed whether clinical supervision leads to improved client outcome. The current article presents a review of 2 decades of research into the question of whether clinical supervision improves client outcome. Ten studies conducted between 1981 and 1997 are reviewed in detail. Caveats and criticisms, as well as suggested directions for future research, are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Negative supervisory events: Effects on supervision and supervisory alliance.

What are the consequences when a supervisee experiences a negative event in supervision? Supervisee developmental level, supervisory working alliance, trainee attachment style, and negative supervisory events were examined to determine their relationship with one another. Findings underscore the destructive impact negative supervisory events can have on supervision and supervisee development. This impact varies depending upon a supervisee's developmental level or the strength of the supervisor--supervisee working alliance. Supervisors are encouraged to be more supportive of supervisees in early development, and suggestions are offered on ways to ensure a strong supervisory relationship. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of On being a psychotherapist--The journey of the healer.

Reviews the book, On being a psychotherapist--The journey of the healer by Carl Goldberg (1986). Although at first glance the title of Goldberg's book may suggest that the reader can look forward to some sort of mystical expedition, this is clearly not what follows. The book is a gem and bound to become a widely read classic among burgeoning and master psychotherapists. Goldberg states in the preface that the book has been written as a guideline for practitioners with varying degrees of clinical experience. He further proposes to examine core issues affecting the practitioner which cut across various schools of thought and theoretical orientations--a tall order, for sure. Yet the book's compelling content, organization, concise writing style, and optimal blend of case notes, references, and insightful reflections on Goldberg's own clinical practice make this volume highly respectable. Goldberg's book is comprehensive and substantial by any standard. Over 150 topics are identified in the Table of Contents, all of which are important for psychotherapists to attend to, regardless of experience or competency level. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

University environment as a mediator of Latino ethnic identity and persistence attitudes.

The authors examined whether the perception of the university environment mediated the relationship between ethnic identity and persistence attitudes of Latino college students. Participants were 175 Latino college students who attended a primarily White university. The results supported the hypothesized mediating role of the university environment. Higher Latino ethnic identity was associated with perceiving a more negative university environment and feeling less committed to finishing college. In turn, perception of a negative college environment was associated with feeling less committed to finishing college. When perception of the university environment was removed, no significant relationship was found between ethnic identity and persistence attitudes, indicating that it is the perceived context that influences Latino college students' persistence attitudes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Enhancing supervisee reflectivity in clinical supervision: A case study illustration.

Reflectivity has been described as the cyclical process whereby individuals engage in a critical evaluation of their affective, cognitive, and behavioral experiences to produce insight and fundamental shifts in their original beliefs. Developing reflectivity in supervisees is one of the most challenging, yet important, responsibilities of clinical supervisors, given its link to such skills as critical thinking, ethical decision making, and problem solving. This paper advances the literature by presenting a case example that demonstrates how reflectivity can be emphasized in clinical supervision, highlighting the barriers to reflectivity, and providing strategies that supervisors can utilize to encourage reflectivity within clinical supervision. The strategies and information discussed may be flexibly applied to supervisees of all developmental levels within the context of individual supervision. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An exploratory survey on empirically supported treatments: Implications for internship training.

Is training in empirically supported treatments (ESTs) necessary for internship? Are all internship sites embracing EST training equally? An exploratory survey reports training practices and attitudes toward use of ESTs in internship sites accredited by the American Psychological Association. Training practices during an internship year varied across type of setting, but only 28% reported offering more than 15 hr of training. Lack of managed care demands, flexibility in session limits, and perceived mismatch between client needs and treatment options were reasons endorsed for not doing more training and supervision with ESTs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On "Treatment" in Student Training: Comment.

Comments on Leonard Small's article, "Toward Professional Clinical Psychology" (see record 1964-03434-001). This article has to do with students training to be psychologists and how unless they have been "treated", they cannot do effective therapy. The commentator discusses this issue and suggests that the research-based certainty of the value of psychotherapy is at too low a level of confidence to recommend treatment as a requisite of student training. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Decision making and psychotherapy integration: Theoretical considerations, preliminary data, and implications for future research.

In recent years, a number of publications have called for investigation of how psychotherapists make treatment decisions in clinical practice. This recommendation is particularly salient for psychotherapy integration, as studies have consistently shown that a plurality of American clinicians consider themselves to be either "eclectic" or "integrative" in theoretical orientation. Yet, the research on clinician decision making in psychotherapy is in its infancy. This article examines the need for decision-making research in psychotherapy integration, as well as aspects of psychotherapy integration that are targets for research and possible theoretical frameworks for understanding decision-making processes of integrative psychotherapists. A preliminary study provides data from practicing psychotherapists to illustrate these points. Finally, implications and directions for future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychotherapy in Argentina: Theoretical orientation and clinical practice.

This article focuses on the relationship between theoretical orientation and clinical practice in Argentina. Five hundred twenty-five psychotherapists were surveyed in the city of Buenos Aires and the provinces of Buenos Aires, Santa Fe, La Pampa, Neuquén, Chubut, and Rio Negro. Psychoanalysis was chosen by 53.1% of the psychotherapists as the main theory used in their clinical practice. Integrationists made up 39.8% of the sample and represented the 2nd most important group. Within the integrationist group, psychoanalysis was mentioned by 63.2% as the main or base theory, followed by 12.9% mentioning cognitive theory. A longitudinal analysis shows how the trend toward integration of the different theories has grown over the years. These results reveal the importance of psychoanalysis and the trend toward integration within clinical practice in Argentina. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)