Good supervision: On the experience of being supervised

The Supervisory Alliance in Group Supervision

“…The literature on group supervision emphasizes that when the supervisor's time and attention have to be shared with other group members, the result may be group dynamics such as competition and rivalry (Boëthius et al ., ; Crick, ; Hawkins & Shohet, ; Ögren & Jonsson, ). Furthermore, Berman and Berger () argue that supervisees in a group may feel uncovered and vulnerable in front of the ‘audience’ of other supervisees, which engenders competition among group members.…”

“…Due to its evaluative and hierarchical constitution, the supervisory relationship is asymmetrical by nature (Bernard & Goodyear, ; Berman & Berger, ), but these dynamics are very outspoken in this specific supervision group. First, the group is composed of a male supervisor in his forties and four very much younger female supervisees; and second, the setting within a university clinic leads the supervisees to be attuned to a performance‐focused setting, where the supervisor is the gatekeeper to the profession (Crick, ). These dynamics become evident in Karen's above‐mentioned quote, when she refers to Ben as ‘the man’ and she and her colleagues as ‘girls’.…”

“…These dynamics become evident in Karen's above‐mentioned quote, when she refers to Ben as ‘the man’ and she and her colleagues as ‘girls’. Crick (, p. 236) compares the supervisor to a parent and argues that supervisees in training hold an adolescent position ‘just about fully grown but not yet entitled to take an adult identity’. On this basis, Ben might be subject to authority projections or paternal transference from the supervisees (Hawkins & Shohet, ).…”

“…Furthermore, this might explain some of the supervisees’ dissatisfaction with Ben. In Crick's () description, the supervisee shares some of the ambiguity of adolescence, which is why the demands that supervisees make of a good supervisor are contradictory, making the supervisees’ devaluation of the supervisor understandable just as the adolescent's relationship to a parent.…”

Supervision of the Beginning Therapist: Privileges and Problems

“…Supervision is the cornerstone of training in short-term dynamic psychotherapy but supervisors rarely receive specific training for the supervisory role. They usually graduate to this position, having learned through experience from their own supervisors whose styles in supervision may have been experienced variously as good, bad or indifferent ( Crick 1991). Several symposia have been devoted to the subject of psychoanalytic supervision, and the diversity of styles favoured and the aims of their endeavours are as varied as the supervisors themselves (Fordham 1961, Caligor et al 1981.…”