Supervision of Inexperienced Therapists

This paper is based on a qualitative study of supervision of inexperienced trainees. Eighteen supervisor-student dyads were interviewed listening to the same sequences of a tape from a supervisory session. They were also given a semi-structured interview relating to general aspects of supervision. The purpose of the study was to provide understanding of supervision that questionnaires may not make apparent, and to explore them in relation to supervision issues. It appeared that most supervisors had an ideal of a symmetrical position and tried to refrain from being didactic or instructive. This position was mostly appreciated by the trainees. The findings are discussed in relation to the emphasis on didactic training for inexperienced trainees in supervision literature, particularly with regard to possible contextual variables influencing how the trainee perceives and reacts to supervision.