Premium
Participant Supervision: Supervisor and Supervisee Experiences of Cotherapy
Author(s) -
Falke Stephanie I.,
Lawson Lindsey,
Pandit Mayuri L.,
Patrick Elizabeth A.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of marital and family therapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.868
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1752-0606
pISSN - 0194-472X
DOI - 10.1111/jmft.12039
Subject(s) - attunement , supervisor , intervention (counseling) , psychology , clinical supervision , context (archaeology) , psychotherapist , vulnerability (computing) , participant observation , medical education , applied psychology , medicine , sociology , computer science , management , psychiatry , paleontology , alternative medicine , computer security , pathology , economics , biology , anthropology
Participant supervision is a unique application of live supervision in which a supervisor and supervisee see clients conjointly. Although minimally discussed in the family therapy literature, it has notable advantages, chief among them being a shared clinical experience that increases attunement to supervisee skill and development, the modeling of skillful intervention, and a higher degree of collegiality. However, it is not without its challenges, including supervisee vulnerability and anxiety, diffusion of responsibility, and limited time for case discussion. This article highlights the experience of one supervisor and three doctoral‐level supervisees engaging in participant supervision over the course of a 2‐year period. Using illustrative examples, we discuss our experience of the advantages and challenges of participant supervision, and provide recommendations for establishing a collaborative relational context within which supervisory benefits can be maximized.