Supervision from a Lacanian Perspective Considered Closely: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

This study aims at mapping and interpreting what is at stake in Lacanian psychoanalytic supervision. Using interview data of participants' personal accounts of supervision, the authors applied a thematic analysis to gain insight into what they believe are crucial components in these accounts of supervision. We interpret the data within the context of Lacan's text, 'Direction of the Treatment and the Principles of its Power', in which he articulates his conceptualization of psychoanalytic treatment. His views on interpretation (tactics), transference (strategy), and lack-of-being (politics) as the three elements that structure the actions of the analyst, guided our data-analysis. Participants indicate how their supervisor focuses on the symbolic dimension of speech, helping them avoid getting deceived by the dimension of the imaginary. During the supervision process, the supervisor does not respond from a master position, nor coach the supervisees. Supervisees develop their own style and framework for clinical work. Through discussing cases, supervisees learn to construct cases and focus on the singularity of the case, beyond structural diagnosis. Lastly, Lacanian supervisors only focus on the cases discussed, not on the person of the supervisee.

The self-critical patient in clinical supervision: a qualitative study of therapists’ alliance struggles and emotional reactions in short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy for depression

“…Therapists participating in our study mainly focused on what patients did and appeared somewhat reluctant to discuss personal investments in supervision. This is most likely a consequence of these therapists' antecedent Freudian-Lacanian training where emotional responses are not seen as particularly informative of patients and where personal immersion is preferably worked through in an individual analytic process (Dulsster et al, 2021). This is a significant limitation, and it would be useful for future studies to incorporate a more integrative perspective on countertransference (see Gelso & Hayes, 2007) into analysis.…”