DPsych Award
Congratulations to Barbara McKay, who passed her DPsych Family and Systemic Psychotherapy on 18th November 2014 subject to minor amendments.
Congratulations to Barbara McKay, who passed her DPsych Family and Systemic Psychotherapy on 18th November 2014 subject to minor amendments.
Details:
Thesis title: What Contributes to the Development of Supervisory Style in the Context of Live Supervision in a Training Institute?
Examiners: Professor Rudi Dallos (University of Plymouth) and Dr Virginia Eatough (Department of Psychological Science, Birkbeck)
Supervisor: Professor Stephen Frosh, Department of Psychosocial Studies , Birkbeck
Abstract:
This study is situated in live supervision groups held over a two year period in a London training institute that delivers systemic therapy training.
It focuses on the development of supervisory style which can be both consistent with a characteristic approach regardless of context as well as emerging and responsive to supervisees’ needs.
The study includes data from twelve interviews with supervisors and supervisees plus one observation.
Supervisors show a strong connection with their articulated characteristic style which distinguishes them from one another and provides an overarching frame of reference for both supervisory interventions and relationships with their groups.
They demonstrate some consistency relating to the supervisory requirement to educate, develop systemic practice skills or the family facing work influenced by their considerable practice expertise. There are also some marked differences that appear to be linked to individual style and relational responses to their supervisees which captures the recursive influence of supervisees on supervisory style.
The study found two main themes significant to both supervisors and supervisees, namely the development of technical ability through skill acquisition and the creation of connected relationships.
Supervisory interventions that contribute to technical ability are shown through the educational function of supervision. The meaning made around these practices is much more complex and varied and significantly affects supervisory relationships. These relational constructions go on to define the relationships between supervisors and supervisees and impact learning.
Connected relationship building in supervision is not new. This study offers a range of ideas to show the construction and effect of relationship building through the exploration of supervisory interventions, supervisory style, and responsiveness to supervisees, attention to professional standards and other factors such as gender and professional experience. These factors contribute to the development of relationships as well as the definition of relationships from the vantage points of supervisors and supervisees.
Some tentative suggestions are offered to enhance the quality of supervisory relationships and thus improve learning.
The study makes no claims that this is reflective of other live supervision experiences within the systemic field or indeed other disciplines that utilize live supervision methods.