Convergence in Psychotherapy Supervision: A Common Factors, Common Processes, Common Practices Perspective

Trans-theoretical and common factors supervision literature is quite limited. Although supervision similarities may be readily recognized, articulated trans-theoretical and common factors perspectives are rare (Bernard & Goodyear, 2014). Yet I contend that all psychotherapy supervision is most fundamentally guided by a nomological network of binding commonalities that foremost enlivens and invigorates, directs and determines supervisory action. In what follows, I identify 50 (nonexhaustive) commonalities, shared by any and all supervision perspectives, that cut across at least 9 practice-impacting areas: Supervisee characteristics, supervisor qualities, supervisee change processes, supervision structures, supervision relationship elements, supervision common principles, supervisor tasks, supervisor common roles, and supervisor common practices. I argue that, even if a supervisor practices a particular brand of supervision (e.g., psychoanalytic, cognitive), practice will be affected by and be delivered via the cross-cutting commonalities identified here. These commonalities converge to form what could be thought of as a common factors, common processes, common practices supervision perspective. I further argue that psychotherapy supervision is eminently an educational enterprise, an adult learning experience (e.g., Knowles, Holton, & Swanson, 2015), and is at its best when those realities are consistently integrated into our supervisory conceptualization and conduct. Convergencia en la supervisión de psicoterapia: Una perspectiva de factores comunes, procesos comunes y prácticas comunes La literatura sobre la supervisión transteórica y de factores comunes es limitada. A pesar de que las similitudes en supervisión son reconocidas, no es común ver perspectivas transteóricas y de factores comunes siendo bien expresadas (Bernard & Goodyear, 2014). Sin embargo, yo afirmo que la supervisión de psicoterapia es guiada fundamentalmente por una rede nomológica de los aspectos comunes vinculantes que ilumina y revigoran, dirigen y determinan la acción del supervisor. En el resto del manuscrito, indentifico 50 aspectos (no exhaustivos) comunes campartidos por todos los supervisores a través de 9 áreas de práctica: características de la persona siendo supervisadas, cualidades del supervisor, cambios de proceso del supervisado, estructura de supervisión, elementos de la relación de la supervisión, principios comunes de la supervisión, tareas del supervisor, roles del sup