Supervisor-Supervisee Interactions: The Importance of the Supervisory Working Alliance

Clinical supervision is central to the training of health service psychologists. As the field of health service psychology grows, the profession must continue refining its understanding of how supervision affects the professional development of psychologists-in-training. The supervisory working alliance (SWA), which is analogous to the therapeutic alliance, forms the foundation upon which the supervisory process occurs. However, supervisor-supervisee interactions can positively and negatively affect the SWA. A weak supervisory alliance may adversely affect the supervision process and therefore trainee growth. In this article, we present three case vignettes from composites of experiences from multiple trainees across multiple training environments. Each vignette highlights specific supervisor behaviors that may influence the supervisory experience. The first vignette discusses how developmental approaches to supervision can foster growth in trainees. The second vignette outlines potential consequences of overgeneralizing trainees' behaviors. The final vignette highlights how collaborative problem-solving can foster professional development in trainees. Following each vignette, we discuss relevant literature and explore the impact of these behaviors on trainee growth within the context of the SWA. We conclude by providing practical recommendations for supervisors and supervisees to prevent problems in their working alliance and maintain good practices. Public Significance Statement Interactions between supervisors and supervisees can impact the supervisory working alliance and trainee development. Trainees' perspectives on these interactions can help inform best practices. Developmental models of supervision, supervision contracts, responsive feedback, collaborative problem-solving, and obtaining administrative support may promote more productive interactions during supervision for all parties.