REFLECTIONS ON SUPERVISION IN INTEGRATIVE PSYCHOTHERAPY

Psychotherapy supervision is a distinct professional practice that adapts the style and content of the supervision to the supervisee’s phase of development. This article describes various phases of psychotherapy supervision. In the Skill Development phase, the initial focus is on the trainee's acquiring of information and techniques, as well as developing an ethical perspective; the Confidence Building phase focus is on the well-being of the supervisee; the Thinking Theoretically and Skill Refinement phase focuses on the supervisee exploring a variety of psychotherapy options; and, the Multi-theoretical phase emphasizes integrating various theoretical perspectives. The advantages and disadvantages of addressing countertransference and possibly providing some psychotherapy for the supervisee are discussed. The article concludes with eight guiding principles that are central in every phase of supervision.