Dilemmas that undermine supervisor confidence

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 Analys...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inCounselling and psychotherapy research Vol. 18; no. 1; pp. 14 - 25
Main Authors Thériault, Anne, Gazzola, Nicola
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Abingdon Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.03.2018
Subjects
Confidence
confidence in supervising
Counseling
supervisor dilemmas
supervisor self‐care
supervisor self‐confidence
Supervisors
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Summary: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.
ISSN:1473-3145
1746-1405
DOI:10.1002/capr.12153