Factors in psychotherapy supervision

What is it about?

In this article, a common and specific factors model of how the psychotherapy supervision relationship contributes to supervisee learning is proposed. We propose a convergence of supervision common and specific factors that emphasizes: (a) the importance of initial supervisor–supervisee alliance bond formation and its maintenance (involving the supervisee’s trust for and recognized expertise of the supervisor), and (b) 3 relationship pathways by which supervisee change occurs. Those 3 change pathways are: (a) the supervisor–supervisee real relationship (involving professional attachment, belongingness, and social connection), (b) the supervisor’s creation of expectations about the supervision process and implementation of some form of supervision (providing a framework for supervision understanding and enactment of that framework), and (c) the supervisee’s participation in facilitative educational actions (where experimenting and refinement beget further experimenting and refinement). When operating in “good enough” fashion, the 3 pathways and supervisory bond converge to produce 3 general supervision outcomes: (a) reduction of supervisee anxiety, shame, and self-doubt; (b) therapist identity development; and (c) therapist skill/competence development. At least 2 learning mechanisms are involved in making those supervisee outcomes possible: (a) exposure and (b) reorganization. This combination of common and specific factors captures potent factors of learning liberation that become actualized in the supervision situation.

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