Reflective dialogue in clinical supervision : a pilot study involving collaborative review of supervision videos

Objective: To pilot an intervention involving reflective dialogue based on video recordings of clinical supervision. Method: Fourteen participants (seven psychotherapists and their supervisors) completed a reflective practice protocol after viewing a video of their most recent supervision session, then shared their reflections in a second session. Results: Thematic analysis of individual reflections and feedback resulted in the following dominant themes: (1) Increased discussion of supervisee anxiety and the tensions between autonomy and dependence; (2) intentions to alter supervisory roles and practice; (3) identification of and reflection on parallel process (defined as the dynamic transmission of relationship patterns between therapy and supervision); and (4) a range of perceived impacts including improvements in supervisory alliance. Conclusions: The results suggest that reflective dialogue based on supervision videos can play a useful role in psychotherapy supervision, including with relatively inexperienced supervisees. Suggestions are provided for the encouragement of ongoing reflective dialogue in routine supervision practice.