What was your motivation in
becoming a supervisor?
In their responses to this question, there was the
greatest similarity between the four supervisors.
George and Marshall both indicated first their
enjoyment of working with the trainees. George
noted that he also likes helping students become
better therapists and Marshall loves teaching control
mastery therapy. Jessica and Barbara are both
motivated to help others deepen and trust their own
voices. Jessica added that she had some very
excellent role models who helped her find her
authority and wanted to pass it on.
What do you enjoy most in supervision?
Each of the supervisors highlighted a different
aspect of supervision. For Jessica it is “watching the
person come to trust their instincts and find their
rhythms and confidence in the work."
Marshall stated that he most enjoys “sharing
students' enthusiasm for their work and helping them
deal with difficult clinical situations."
Finally, George referred to helping supervisees
resolve/understand impasses and to understand
aspects of therapeutic process that are unclear.
How do you integrate Control Mastery
ideas into your supervision of interns?
The supervisors seem to be in agreement that
control mastery principles guiding them in their work
with patients are applicable to their work with
supervisees.
Jessica: "They go hand in hand - we carry the
control mastery assumptions that the
therapist/supervisee is doing their best to try to help
the patient and need to be helped to be allowed to
do that. We also can use the same ideas of testing
and passive into active and lay them over the action
that is taking place in the treatment as our
supervisee may show us the tests they are being
exposed to through their interactions with us. We try
to help the supervisee figure out how the patient is
trying to use the therapist to accomplish their goal.
For that, we also look at what feelings the trainee is
inducing in me as a way they are trying to tell you
about their patients’ past experiences and traumas. I
try to help to move the work forward."
George: "I try to pay attention to what the
intern's plan is - i.e. how the intern would like to use
supervision to achieve his/her goals."
Marshall: "I use the same principles as I do with
patients. Supervision should be therapeutic."
Barbara: "Control Mastery Theory as an
orientation is compatible with my motivation to help
interns trust their own voice, because it allows us to
connect with each other in a relationship that fosters
positive interactions. Such interactions make it safe
for the trainee to be who they are."
What in your view is the most important
aspect of good supervision?
Control Mastery ideas are also reflected in what
the supervisors view as critical to effective
supervision. For Barbara, in good supervision the
supervisor is able to hold the angst, so that the
intern is able to see what it is about: “If we are both
anxious, we are unable to have clarity." She also
works to be consistent and real in the
relationship.
George emphasizes creating an
atmosphere/relationship in which the supervisee feels
comfortable asking for the help they need.
Marshall focuses on making the supervisee feel
competent, safe, and respected. Similarly, Jessica
underscores respect for the student and creating a
safe environment from which supervisees can explore
and learn about their style and voice without attack
or criticism.
What is your worst supervision memory?
Here are some of the supervisors’ memories from
their own experience as trainees:
Marshall: "My worst experiences were with (1) a
psychologist named Ed Bordin at the U of M
Counseling Center. He developed the concept of the
therapeutic alliance but had terrible relationship and
teaching skills. My second worst experience was with
a classical analyst who had disdain for control-
mastery theory."
Jessica: "At one time I had 5 difference
supervisors who where all telling me to do different
stupid things and I couldn’t think clearly enough to
find my own truth!"
Barbara: "My worst memory of supervision is not
specific, but involves supervisors who could not
tolerate a different style - my style. Others were
very anxious and then passed it onto me, or worse
wanted me to take care of them."
George: "Working with a supervisor who made
himself seem smart by making me feel stupid and
inept."
What is your best supervision memory?
Barbara: "My best supervisor trusted me, in my
practice in becoming a good therapist. I was free to
talk to him about my deepest concerns about my
patients, rather than hide what happened in
session. I brought forth my own insecurities without
worrying that I would have my hand slapped or be
shamed and judged. In supervision, I learned that
when my relationship with a patient matters, my
patients will give me a chance to get it right with
them. And they do."
George: "My experiences with Hal Sampson."
Marshall: "Working with Joe Weiss. He could
formulate cases very quickly and tell you how you
could help the patient."
Jessica: "Having Joe tell me he couldn’t do it any
better and wishing I was his therapist! It made me
cry."
How do you think about the interaction
between the personalities/history of the trainee and
the patient and how do you deal with it when
supervising that trainee (if at all)?
Barbara: "I think about the personalities and the
histories of the people involved. We're actually all in
the room. Me, the therapist, and the patient, and
his/her parents. It’s pretty crowded in my little
office."
Marshall: "I only deal with it if the trainee brings
it up. I try to give the trainee permission to stop
working with patients who are too disagreeable."
Jessica: "I believe that we all come in with our
own issues and histories - sometimes that can aid us
in understanding our patients and sometimes not. I
aim to teach my students to know themselves as
well as possible and when they find themselves
reacting in an unusual way – not their typical one I
encourage them to think about why the patients
might be inducing such feelings in them. Yet, if it is
their usual, regular reactions that they are used to –
it is best dealt with in their own work."
Do you ever get annoyed by a supervisee
and what annoys you? How do you handle this
situation?
George: "Fortunately, this is rare but when a
supervisee consistently ignores what we've discussed
in supervision or intervenes in ways that are
antithetical to what we discussed, I do get
annoyed. I handle it by trying to discuss what's
going on."
Barbara: "I don't get any more annoyed with a
trainee than I do with anyone else. If I am annoyed
I think of a way to talk about it gently, humorously,
kindly, protectively like: "you got to stop that girl.
You’re too worried about him” or “You got to protect
yourself. That’ll be great for you, and maybe even
help the patient."
Jessica: "It is rare that I find myself annoyed at
a supervisee as I love teaching and working with
therapists. My own sensitively is to having my time
wasted so a student who consistently needs to not
show up or comes late isn’t a good match with me."
Marshall summarized: "I do get annoyed and I do
not handle it well."
How do you see your relationship with the
patients of an intern? Do you find yourself attached
to them? Does it feel like you know them? Do you
ever think that you might have a complete distorted
picture of who they are?
Marshall: "I like most of my supervisees' patients
and want to see them get help. It makes me happy
to see people master problems. I do not worry about
getting a distorted picture of patients."
George: "I do feel that I get to know the intern's
patient quite well and often to become attached.
I've not had the experience of feeling or discovering
that I got a completely distorted picture (but this
would be difficult to ascertain!)."
Jessica: "I become attached in a slightly different
way than my own patients, maybe like a grandparent
in that you don't get all the hard work and do get
much of the pleasure of their growth. I never get to
meet them but know so much about their lives- I
come to care about them and want them to do well.
I do think it is in a removed and potentially somewhat
distorted view but that is all we ever have. I would
guess that it isn’t even all that distorted!"
Barbara: "I don't have the whole picture of the
person, but I do have a picture of a relationship. I
believe that whatever the therapist brings to me
about their patient is what most matters. The
patient entrusts the therapist to know that, and
she/he then brings it to me. When therapists are
involved and getting information that comes through
their heart and feelings, it helps us know how this
patient is with others and what will help."
Most of us can attest that from the trainee’s
point of view, not all supervision memories are
pleasant. It appears that with such memories in
mind, when the moment of truth comes and one finds
themselves in the supervisor’s chair, they can
approach the task in two main ways. For some, the
rationale seems to be that if they suffered, and they
turned out so great, they should give others the
same blessing (can you tell that I am biased?).
Others are inspired to not have next generations
go through this and question whether learning will be
facilitated by an affirmative, supportive approach. It
seems that the supervisors who participated in this
ad-hoc survey all follow the latter ideas. In fact this
is what Jessica and Barbara identify as their guiding
principle in designing the training program.
After (almost) a year with the SFPRG internship
training program I can declare that they did an
excellent job of that.
Observing my supervisors and having the control
mastery concept of safety so ingrained in me, I got
spoiled. It became almost too easy to take my
positive supervision experiences for granted. The
ideas presented by the supervisors in this essay
seem common sense to the effect that it is difficult
to think of any other way to do it. But realistically, I
know that this is not so obvious and that I have
been very fortunate to have had such excellent
supervision and such great training this year.
