The Supervisory Relationship: A Contemporary Psychodynamic Approach

In the past two decades, many psychodynamic therapists have begun to view the relational processes taking place between patient and therapist as a central source of transformation. Yet traditional paradigms of clinical supervision, focusing primarily on didactic teaching, have limitations for training therapists to work in these new ways. This groundbreaking volume is the first to elaborate a comprehensive contemporary model of supervision. Using a wealth of examples and vignettes, the authors show how working within the vicissitudes of the supervisory relationship can allow the supervisee to gain a deeper understanding of the treatment method being taught. Key topics discussed include issues of power and authority, regression in the supervisory relationship, rethinking the "teach/treat" question, parallel process as a relational phenomenon, working with group process in case conference, and the role of the organization in supporting training. This is a richly informative resource for psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, psychoanalysts, and others involved in clinical supervision and training. It also will serve as a text for courses in supervision and organizational psychology.

About the Author

Mary Gail Frawley-O'Dea, PhD, is a faculty member and supervisor at the Derner Institute for Advanced Psychological Studies at Adelphi University, Garden City, New York; the Minnesota Institute for Contemporary Psychoanalytic Studies; and the National Training Program in Contemporary Psychoanalysis in New York City. She also is on the continuing education faculty of the National Psychological Association for Psychoanalysis, Inc., in New York City. Coauthor with Jody Messler Davies of Treating the Adult Survivor of Childhood Sexual Abuse , Dr. Frawley-O'Dea is a clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst in clinical and supervisory practice in New City, New York. Joan E. Sarnat, PhD, is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Berkeley, California. She is Board Certified in Clinical Psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology and is a member of the Psychoanalytic Institute of Northern California. She is on the adjunct faculties of the California School of Professional Psychology and The Wright Institute, Berkeley, California. She has supervised and led case conferences for over 20 years, and conducts consultation groups for supervisors.