The Supervisory Relationship When Women Supervise Women: An Exploratory Study of Power, Reflexivity, Collaboration, and Authenticity

Abstract

What does it mean to have a collaborative, authentic supervisory relationship? Can power and hierarchy in supervision be acknowledged, talked about, and incorporated as part of the learning? What does a supervisory relationship look like that incorporates intentional reflexivity about the relationship into the relationship? Discussions about the importance of the supervisory relationship, including the above topics, have emerged within different psychological communities, such as feminists, contemporary psychoanalytic thinkers, the competency framework in psychology training, and counseling psychologists. The supervisory relationship was investigated through a small-N, exploratory, qualitative study of women psychologists supervising women psychology trainees. Data were gathered for eight “outstanding women supervisors” and supervisees through sessions and interviews. These exploratory, descriptive data of real-life supervision sessions and relationships add to the conversation about relational supervision. Benefits of a reflexive, collaborative, and authentic framework to supervision are presented.

KEYWORDS:

• collaboration
• power
• relationship
• supervision
• women