Problematic supervision has been found to be a common occurrence among psychotherapists worldwide. Although there are some research studies that explore therapists' experiences of problematic supervision, the literature on such experiences in the context of psychoanalytic supervision is limited. This study, as part of a larger study, explored psychoanalytic psychotherapists' experiences of problematic supervision. Using semi‐structured interviews, 14 professional psychoanalytic practitioners were interviewed. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was employed for data analysis. Five themes were identified: feeling frustrated, hurting deprivation, holding back, losing my voice and challenging boundaries. This is the first study capturing professional psychoanalytic therapists' lived experiences of problematic supervision. The findings emphasise a need to take into account the supervisees' conceptualisations about their difficult experiences in order to conduct supervision in a way that is meaningful and accessible for them. The study findings can be extended by future studies that explore the supervisors and the clients' experiences of supervision. Further implications for practice and policy and recommendations for future research are discussed.

This study explored psychoanalytic supervisees' conceptualization of good supervision. Fourteen registered psychoanalytic psychotherapists recognized by the Irish Council for Psychotherapy were interviewed. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, interviews were analysed, and this process yielded two superordinate themes encompassing five subordinate themes. The superordinate theme providing illumination encapsulated the participants' experiences of illuminating the self and illuminating the client. The superordinate theme helping with emotional management referred to the participants' conceptualization of supervision as containing participants' difficult emotions, normalizing clinical difficulties and feeling accompanied. The findings are discussed in light of their implications for practice and theory. Of particular interest is the relief that participants felt when their fears and anxieties were addressed and worked through in supervision. In addition, the study builds a foundation for future research studies to explore the supervisee insight and identify more specific types of insight.

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