Session transcripts as a supervision resource: perspectives from Chinese clinical supervisors and supervisees

Objective To examine Chinese supervisors’ and supervisees’ perceptions of using session transcripts in clinical supervision, including requirements, practices, benefits, and challenges, and to consider implications for supervision elsewhere.Method Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 supervisors and 16 supervisees from two Chinese counselling training programs. Supervisors averaged 13.5 years of counselling and 5.4 years of supervisory experience; supervisees averaged 108.1 hours of counselling experience. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis.Results Most supervisors (90.9%) required transcripts for every supervision session, usually from 15-minute therapy segments, often accompanied by recordings and reflections. Four major benefits emerged: direct access to therapy interactions, learning through transcription, more concrete supervisory feedback, and greater efficiency. Challenges included the time required, supervisee self-criticism and motivation difficulties, and limited capture of nonverbal communication. Speech-to-text technology was commonly used but raised concerns about data security.Conclusions Session transcripts provide important educational and supervisory benefits despite implementation challenges. Findings highlight the need for clear expectations, emotional support for supervisees, and attention to ethical issues in technology use, particularly when training novice therapists.