Using Video Recordings of Psychotherapy Sessions in Supervision: Strategies to Reduce Learner Anxiety

[...]supervisors are able to be more objective when assessing the learner’s skills, than what can be achieved through reading psychotherapy notes or through discussion in supervision [3, 4]. Elements of the learning contract may include (1) specific learning goals; (2) learner’s and supervisor’s responsibilities in supervision; (3) operational aspects of supervision, including frequency and length of meetings and number of patients; (4) the role of video recordings in supervision; and (5) the structure/agenda of the supervision session. An agenda for a supervision session may include the learner beginning supervision by presenting a “difficult” recorded segment from the therapy session; providing theoretical hypotheses about the nature of this segment and causes; identifying the learner’s own emotional experience of being in the session; discussing appropriate psychotherapeutic approaches; and summarizing the supervision discussion [12]. Following discussion with their supervisors, learners can focus on building a relationship with patients before asking them to record therapy sessions, be clear in their explanation of the educational value and purpose of the recording, and give the patient the option of having recordings erased after their intended use [13].