Resistance in Supervision: A Response to Perceived Threat

Supervisee resistance is discussed as a defensive response to perceived threat. When feeling threatened, counselors in supervision seek coping strategies to reduce their anxieties. Some of these strategies interfere with the process of learning and may be seen by the supervisor as resistance. Various forms of resistant behavior are enumerated, possible sources of threat that may arouse these behaviors are explored, and a step‐by‐step model for dealing with resistance in supervision is proposed.