Supervisory Relationship » (1st Edition)

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.

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.

Doody Review Services

Reviewer:Gary B Kaniuk, Psy.D.(Cermak Health Services)
Description:This book describes the supervisory relationship from a psychodynamic point of view, focusing on a relational model of supervision. This model can be characterized along three dimensions: the nature of the supervisor's authority; the relevant data for supervisory processing; and the supervisor's primary mode of participation.
Purpose:The authors believe that there is a relative paucity of literature on supervision from a psychodynamic/psychoanalytic point of view. They see this as very surprising because the supervisory relationship is the means by which clinicians learn psychotherapy. In addition, the authors wanted to write from a contemporary relational perspective. The book is needed meets the authors' objectives.
Audience:The book is intended for psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, psychoanalysts, and others involved in supervisory work. However, the emphasis is supervision from a clearly psychoanalytic/psychodynamic perspective. In my judgment, students can benefit from this book as well since they often become involved in supervision early in their careers, sometimes even during internships. The authors are credible authority in the subject matter.
Features:The book presents a historical review of psychodynamic supervision and then proceeds to explore a relational model of supervision. Traditional analytic concepts such as regression and parallel process are also discussed. The authors clearly explain the relational model of supervision, which I think is the highlight of the book. There are sufficient case examples to clarify the material.
Assessment:This is a very good book because the subject of supervision is central to teaching the psychotherapeutic (and psychodiagnostic) process to students. Although I am from the cognitive-behavioral tradition, the book highlights issues that cross theoretical boundaries. It is very useful and is written quite well.

Contents Introduction
1. Historical Perspectives on Psychoanalytic Supervision
2. Models of Supervision
3. A Relational Model of Supervision
4. The Supervisor's Knowledge, Power, and Authority, Part I: Mutuality, Asymmetry, and Negotiation
5. The Supervisor's Knowledge, Power, and Authority, Part II: Evaluation, Externality, Sexual Boundaries, and Gender
6. Rethinking Regression 7. The Teach/Treat Issue
8. Parallel Process Revisited 9. Contemporary Case Conference Conclusion: The Supervisory Dyad and Beyond References