Recording supervision: Educational, therapeutic, and enhances the supervisory working alliance?

Abstract

Aims: To explore the impact of listening to an audio-recording of their latest supervision session on supervisees. Method: Participants recorded a supervision session, listened to it and were interviewed about this experience of listening to it within seven days of listening to the recording. The phenomenological interviews informed by the researcher's knowledge were analysed using grounded theory. Participants: Fifteen participants with 0–20 years’ experience, representing person-centred, CBT, psychodynamic and integrative approaches, and qualifications ranging from student to doctorate formed the theoretical sample. Findings: Listening to the audio-recording allowed participants to re-experience their thoughts and emotions. Participants recalled and re-experienced events which had been forgotten, unnoticed or (arguably) repressed. This re-experiencing was usually less emotive than in real-time; but suppressed emotions could be more intense. As participants integrated both these noticed and unnoticed events, they were able to accept what had been unacceptable, gaining self-awareness, which was potentially therapeutic. Noticing what had been unnoticed permitted insights into many aspects of therapy and supervision, which was more than just ‘reflection-on-action’. Conclusion: Listening to an audio-recording of the latest supervision may be educational for any supervisee; it may be therapeutic by facilitating challenge of maladaptive beliefs and behaviours; and it also seems to strengthen the supervisory working alliance.

Keywords:

• Counselling
• psychotherapy
• supervision
• recording
• supervisory working alliance

Acknowledgements

My thanks go to my PhD supervisor William West and my counselling supervisors (the late) David Sawdon and my present supervisor, as well as my participants. They made this research possible.