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Dilemmas that undermine supervisor confidence
Author(s) -
Thériault Anne,
Gazzola Nicola
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
counselling and psychotherapy research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.38
H-Index - 32
eISSN - 1746-1405
pISSN - 1473-3145
DOI - 10.1002/capr.12153
Subject(s) - supervisor , thematic analysis , ambiguity , self confidence , perspective (graphical) , psychology , work (physics) , process (computing) , social psychology , applied psychology , psychotherapist , qualitative research , sociology , political science , computer science , engineering , social science , mechanical engineering , artificial intelligence , law , programming language , operating system
Background Conventional wisdom links supervisor self‐confidence with experience in supervisory practice. Aims This study explored the nature of confidence from an emic perspective. Method Twelve experienced Canadian supervisors were interviewed, and data was analysed using Structured Thematic Analysis. Results Aspects of the role and process produce tensions that create ambiguity that may diminish self‐confidence. Five main themes were distilled: (a) building supervisee confidence when experiencing self‐doubt as supervisor or clinician;(b) parallel process‐what disturbs therapy disturbs supervision; (c) expert vs. co‐explorer; (d) engaging in supervision while maintaining boundaries; and (e) catch 22 – inviting disclosures of difficulties and evaluation. Conclusion The study adds nuance to the scholarly work that informs supervisor self‐confidence.