On Supervision: Reflections of a Latino Psychologist

The clinical supervisory relationship can be used to help psychotherapy trainees develop a more integrated sense of a multicultural and professional self. In this paper, the author shares some of his own training experiences in supervision and their influence on his supervision style. Examples from supervisory sessions are given to demonstrate how issues of race, gender, class, and sexual orientation can be used to advance both the supervision and the treatment. Candid discussions around the transferential and countertransferential issues in the supervision and the treatment can improve the supervisee's capacity to integrate cultural identity into the developing sense of professional self as a therapist. This process also contributes to the clinical understanding of the person being treated.