The Relationship Between Critical Thinking and Interpersonal Skills

Abstract

Research suggests that clinicians who think critically use more effective interpersonal skills. This paper offers clinical supervisors specific guidelines on how to utilize this connection to strengthen supervisees' skills in both areas with an emphasis on how helping supervisees develop greater skill in critical thinking can improve their interpersonal skills of empathy and addressing therapeutic alliance ruptures. Some specific strategies discussed include: modeling, facilitating a supervisory environment that supports exploring different points of view, asking questions that require critical thinking skills, and facilitating supervisees' skills in conceptualizing client communications in thematic terms.

Key Words:

• Critical thinking
• interpersonal skills
• clinical supervision