Recognizing unsafe supervision in psychology: An early warning framework for supervisees.

Clinical supervision is foundational to professional training in psychology, yet the field has developed robust guidance for supervisors while leaving supervisees underprepared to recognise when supervision becomes unsafe. Research demonstrates that harmful supervision is not rare -substantial proportions of trainees report inadequate, harmful, or exploitative supervisory experiences - yet supervision training rarely equips supervisees to identify early warning signs or navigate escalation pathways within power-asymmetric relationships. This conceptual paper argues that supervisee safety is an under-theorised component of supervision training and addresses this gap by proposing the Unsafe Supervision Early Warning Framework (USEWF). The framework synthesises literature on supervisory power dynamics, boundary violations, supervisee nondisclosure, and harmful supervision events to identify four escalating levels of concern: Early Boundary Drift, Relational Distortion, Power Misuse, and Ethical Breach. Each level is distinguished by characteristic patterns, proximity to harm, and appropriate supervisee response. A typology differentiating challenging-but-safe, poor-quality, unsafe, and unethical supervision clarifies the framework’s scope. The USEWF offers supervisees a practical tool for pattern recognition, consultation decisions, and graduated escalation. Strengthening supervisee preparedness may enhance trainee wellbeing, improve supervision quality, and support safer psychological practice.