White Racial Identity Dyadic Interactions in Supervision: Implications for Supervisees' Multicultural Counseling Competence.

Examining supervisory dyads consisting of a White supervisor and a White supervisee, the authors sought to determine the effects of similarities and differences in levels of supervisor and supervisee racial identity schemas or attitudes on White supervisees' self-reported multicultural counseling competence and multicultural case conceptualization ability. White supervisees in supervision dyads characterized by more advanced White racial identity schemas reported higher self-perceived multicultural counseling competence and obtained higher multicultural case conceptualization ratings than did their counterparts in supervision dyads characterized by lower White racial identity schemas. Implications of the findings are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Supervisor attraction as a function of level of supervisor skillfulness and supervisees' perceived similarity.

Used a laboratory analog study to investigate the effects of supervisor skillfulness and supervisor-supervisee attitude similarity on the attraction of the supervisee to the supervisor, using 29 graduate students in counseling. The similarity of the supervisee to the supervisor was varied by means of an attitude scale purportedly filled out by the supervisor. After the supervisees compared the bogus protocol with their own, each supervisee viewed a videotape of 1 of 2 simulated supervisory sessions showing the supervisor working at either a high or low level of skill with 2 supervisees. Results show a main effect of supervisor skillfulness on attraction, but did not show attraction to vary as a function of supervisor-supervisee attitude similarity. It is concluded that skillfulness was a primary determinant of attraction, but in contrast to previous findings, similarity did not exert a significant attraction effect; supervisor skillfulness appeared to eliminate the similarity-attraction effect. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Supervision of psychology trainees in field placements.

Describes some supervision and systems factors that may produce stress for the professional psychology trainee in a part-time field placement outside the training institution. Stress in the supervisor–supervisee relationship can arise from differences between the supervisor and supervisee in theoretical orientation, style of supervision and learning, and perception of the basis of their relationship, as well as from personality differences. Training institutions and service agencies have different goals and roles that can place the supervisor and the supervisee in conflict. The stress can be reduced as the supervisor, who is a field placement agency employee, acts in accordance with training institution goals and as the trainee can act as a junior staff member of the field placement agency. It is suggested that the student who is aware of some of the difficulties that can arise in a supervisor–supervisee relationship and who understands the stresses inherent in the different goals and roles of a field-placement agency and a training institution will be able to avoid some trouble. (11 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effective supervision as perceived by beginning counselors-in-training.

16 supervisors of beginning practicum counselors rated the importance to good supervision of 42 supervisor behaviors. At the end of their 1st semester of training, 31 beginning practicum counselors rated the frequency with which their supervisors actually performed each of the 42 supervisor behaviors. The counselors also rated the effectiveness of supervision on 3 dimensions: satisfaction with supervision, supervisor competence, and contribution of supervision to improved counselor ability. In general, supervisors perceived supervision as primarily providing feedback to supervisees. Beginning counselors rated their supervision as good, however, if (a) a personal and pleasant supervisor–supervisee relationship existed; (b) supervisors provided relatively structured supervision sessions, especially during early sessions; and (c) supervisors directly taught beginning counselors how to counsel (i.e., by using literature, and by didactic instruction) and then encouraged the new counselors to try out their new skills. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Supervision in relationship: Resolving the teach-treat controversy in psychoanalytic supervision.

Considers whether the effective supervisor must at times address supervisee conflicts and relationship problems that interfere with role functioning. Such a supervisory stance may move beyond teaching into "treating" the supervisee. Explicit acknowledgment that the supervisor is a participant-observer with anxieties and conflicts, rather than an objective expert, is argued to create a new context for supervision. Within this relational context, the teach–treat boundary becomes less problematic. An illustrative vignette is offered, and ideas toward a theory that legitimizes countertransference focus in supervision are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Clinical supervision practices of licensed psychologists.

Surveyed 232 licensed psychologists from 1 midwestern state to assess the nature of clinical supervision for experienced practitioners. Data were collected concerning type, frequency, and content of supervision; supervisor goals, techniques, assessment methods, and roles; and most and least helpful aspects of supervision. There were few significant differences in supervision as a function of supervisee experience, gender, or degree (MA vs PhD), or supervisor gender. The supervisees generally appeared to have autonomous relationships with supervisors who were clinically skilled and highly supportive. Ethical concerns regarding supervisee informed consent, supervisor accountability, and gender-role stereotyping are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ethical issues in supervision.

Suggests the need for a review of current ethical standards regarding supervision of psychotherapists and presents alternative approaches to the supervisor–supervisee relationship. Group or vertical supervision (with peers and senior personnel) may reduce supervisee anxiety and provide more opportunities for objective support. Sharing supervisees may encourage supervisors to compare supervisory problems. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of supervisor and supervisee theoretical orientation and supervisor-supervisee matching on interns' perceptions of supervision.

Effects of supervisor and supervisee theoretical orientation on supervisees' perceptions of supervisors' models, roles, and foci were studied, as were variables influencing quality of supervision and supervisee autonomy. 84 interns from 32 nationwide training sites were surveyed. Cognitive-behavioral supervisors were perceived to be in a consultant role and to focus on skills and strategies more than were humanistic, psychodynamic, and existential supervisors, who were perceived more as using the relationship model, playing the therapist role, and focusing on conceptualization. Supervisors were not perceived to differ in their use of growth and skill development models, teacher role, and focus on the supervisee. Women were perceived as more effective supervisors than were men. Perceived effectiveness was predicted by theoretical match and similarity. Supervisee autonomy was predicted by theoretical similarity, low supervisor adherence to theory, and unmatched gender. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Narrative approaches to supervision and case formulation.

Reviews the literature on the use of narrative in personality theory and its application in the clinical practice literature. A constructionist approach to supervision is proposed that integrates narrative approaches with the supervisory process. Clinical supervision and case formulation are discussed as the result of a dialog between the supervisor and supervisee about the client's story, the supervisee's story about the client, and the professional story offered by the supervisor, resulting in a new case formulation and treatment plan. The new narrative allows a collaborative, empathic approach to both the supervisee and client. Case examples of a single male in his early 20s with complaints of feeling overwhelmed, nervous, and experiencing sleep and appetite disturbances, and of a single mother in her early 30s presenting with concerns about raising her 4-yr-old son illustrate the narrative approach. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of the supervisor and the pregnant analyst.

Presents 3 case examples to illustrate the author's experience as supervisor of 3 pregnant therapists. The supervisor of an analyst in special circumstances may need to function in ways that are out of the ordinary to help the supervisee cope with the added stress set off by a special event. The pregnant therapist may require a supervisor to assist actively in identifying obstacles to self-awareness that can occur due to the heightened stress and psychological vulnerability experienced during this personal life crisis. The supervisor can play an important role in increasing the supervisee's awareness of obstacles in herself that may threaten the analytic process and of commonly occurring patient reactions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Key competencies of the psychodynamic psychotherapist and how to teach them in supervision.

Four of Rodolfa et al.’s (2005) competencies in professional psychology—relationship, self-reflection, assessment-case conceptualization, and intervention—are key for the psychodynamic psychotherapist. Relationship lies at the heart of what is understood to be curative about psychodynamic psychotherapy. Self-reflection implies a complex and highly developed process that includes but goes beyond Rodolfa et al.’s and Kaslow, Dunn, and Smith’s (2008) definitions. Competent assessment, diagnosis, and case conceptualization entails making inferences about unconscious processes by observing the client and also one’s own experience, and integrating these inferences with theory. Effective psychodynamic intervention is derived from what the psychotherapist has experienced, processed, and conceptualized about the relationship with the client and about the client’s internal object world. An extended vignette shows these competencies emerging in a psychotherapist-in-training, facilitated by an intense interaction with a supervisor. Although the supervisory and clinical tasks are different, the supervisor provides a relationship experience that models these same competencies for the supervisee and catalyzes their development in the supervisee. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dynamics of Race and Culture in the Supervisory Encounter.

The rapid increase in racial/ethnic minority populations in the United States implicates the necessity of implementing new approaches to the training of psychologists. The author proposes that the integration of racial and cultural diversity related issues in clinical supervision is an essential component of clinical and teaching competence, which has important implications for the provision of services to ethnic minorities and, more broadly, to better addressing the full realm of clients' intrapsychic and interpersonal worlds. Psychodynamic aspects of the supervisory encounter, such as the narcissistic struggles of the supervisor and supervisee and racial and cultural elements in transference, contribute to supervisory interactions around race and culture. Clinical illustrations are discussed to elaborate these dynamic processes. Recommendations for supervisors on how to explore race and culture in a safe supervisory space are presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Changes in supervision as counselors and supervisors gain experience: A review.

Reviews research bearing on whether and how counselors and supervisors receive or give different types of supervision of psychotherapy as they each gain experience. Most theories describing changes in supervision of counselors as they gain experience are similar. They posit changes in the supervisee, with supervision environments being matched to the changing needs of the supervisee. There are 3 theories concerning how the supervisor changes as he/she gains experience. Empirical findings are consistent with theories of counselor development but only weakly supportive of the theory that actual supervision environments are matched to supervisee needs. Empirical findings on changes in supervisors as they gain experience reveal few differences in supervisors at any level beyond the master's degree. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Describing and facilitating effective supervision behavior in counseling trainees.

Counseling trainees often do not receive formal assistance in assuming the role of supervisee. What constitutes effective trainee behavior within the context of supervision, as opposed to the clinical context, also has received little empirical attention. A national sample of 176 participants (145 supervisees, 31 supervisors) affiliated with counseling psychology or counseling center internship programs rated the importance of 52 behaviors/characteristics (Supervision Utilization Rating Form; SURF) to the effective use of supervision at specific developmental training levels. Supervisors and supervisees applied ratings from important to extremely important to all items. Statistically significant differences between supervisor and supervisee ratings were noted on 6 items. The development of the SURF and its potential uses in supervisee role induction are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The separation-individuation process in psychotherapy supervision.

Conceptualizes the separation–individuation process in psychotherapy supervision, using the separation–individuation phase of development described by M. Mahler as a metaphor. Symbiosis, differentiation, practicing, rapprochement, and object constancy are each discussed with respect to the supervisor and the supervisee. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dangerous liaisons: Sexual intimacies in supervision.

The existing literature concerning supervisor–supervisee sexual intimacies was reviewed before proposing a conceptualization of sexual contact in the supervisory relationship. Three definitions of sexual contact (sexual harassment, sexual involvement, and sexual discrimination) are presented. The nature of the supervisory relationship is defined by comparison with other professional relationships (instructor–student and therapist–client). The process of supervisor and speculation about vulnerabilities of trainees to sexual advances by supervisors are discussed in terms of the developmental model of therapist training. The damaging effects of sexual contact between supervisors and supervisees are discussed and suggestions for improved graduate education are noted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Supervisor cultural responsiveness and unresponsiveness in cross-cultural supervision.

Thirteen supervisees' of color and 13 European American supervisees' experiences of culturally responsive and unresponsive cross-cultural supervision were studied using consensual qualitative research. In culturally responsive supervision, all supervisees felt supported for exploring cultural issues, which positively affected the supervisee, the supervision relationship, and client outcomes. In culturally unresponsive supervision, cultural issues were ignored, actively discounted, or dismissed by supervisors, which negatively affected the supervisee, the relationship, and/or client outcomes. European American supervisees' and supervisees' of color experiences diverged significantly, with supervisees of color experiencing unresponsiveness more frequently and with more negative effects than European American supervisees. Implications for research and supervision practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Supervision of psychological assessment: A developmental model.

The supervision of assessment has been greatly neglected in the literature. A model of supervisee development, from novice to master assessor, is presented. The model focuses on the development of the ability to integrate data into a coherent formulation of the person being tested. Appropriate supervision depends on a matching of the supervisor's behavior to the supervisee's needs, as specified by the supervisee's current level of development. This development is dramatized by improvements in interpreting specific data points and in the recognition of larger patterns in the data. This skill acquisition occurs within the affective context of the supervisor–supervisee relationship as the interaction elicits both inter- and intrapersonal issues. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)