Not too many would argue with the assertion that one of the most critical factors in clinical supervision is the supervisor/supervisee relationship. Carl Rogers’s three therapeutic attributes of congruence, unconditional positive regard, and accurate empathic understanding are back in vogue. Not only are they recognized in current theoretical thinking as significant therapeutic growth factors, but as primary precepts in a successful clinical supervisory relationship.

When supervisors recognize these principles and focus on the counselor as a person, the supervisee is given the opportunity to expand on his or her definition of self and more clearly identify salient relationship issues with clients. Furthermore, the facilitative supervisor acknowledges the emotionally laden issues that provoke countertransferential reactions by the supervisee and provides a forum for apposite exploration. Such issues often reveal a supervisee’s own humanity and frailty and can be effectively and aptly dealt with in supervision. This can occur when the supervisor has fashioned an atmosphere of confidence and trust. A supervisee who is shown congruence, unconditional positive regard, and empathic understanding is one who is more likely to be honest, confiding, respectful, and self-appraising.

A matter of personal style
Supervisors who take the facilitative approach with supervisees are influenced by their approach to life itself. Technique is less important than submitting to the creative and the experiential world of things imagined. Although effective with counselors at any level of professional development, this approach is most effective with more advanced counselors whose experience has placed them where their ability to harness creativity and imagination can be further enhanced.

This style of supervision can impact professional growth by acknowledging the internal processes of the counselor. These may include, for instance, one’s philosophical approach to counseling, level of intuition, and the appropriate use of self in clinical relationships. Supervision that fosters such growth also tends to be isomorphic in nature. In other words, it presents a relational framework that recognizes the similarities of two different relationships both shared by the supervisee: counseling and supervision. The isomorphic quality of the supervisory relationship produces a parallel replication whereby the effective structures in one relationship are duplicated by the supervisee in the other relationship. The alliance developed in the supervisory relationship leads to collaboration toward change, for both the supervisee and his or her clients. Like that in the counseling relationship, the bond between the supervisor and supervisee is a significant factor in precipitating change.

Many question the ethics of supervision that includes self-exploration and increased self-awareness. Supervisees often welcome a therapeutic-like experience in supervision, but supervisors must avoid crossing the fine line that takes them into unethical territory. However, when personal issues in supervision are only dealt with as they impact the work the individual is doing with clients and the discussion ends at that point, the line has not been crossed.
It is incumbent on the supervisor to know where that line is and to keep any dealings with personal issues on the right track. Supervision is not therapy and should never wander into therapy. However, addressing personal issues as they appropriately relate to clinical work can be a growth experience for both supervisee and supervisor, especially when it draws on the resources of the imagination and spirit.

Fruits of the facilitative approach
Parallels between a counselor’s relationship with a supervisor and his or her relationship with clients clearly exist. A mutual or bidirectional influence occurs in each of these relationships that invariably fosters the development of a supervisory alliance. It has been my experience both as a supervisee and supervisor that an enthusiastic partnership in supervision increases the comfort zone in the relationship and impacts positively on how the counselor interacts with clients. It is often self-discovery and accompanying emotional awareness that influence the development of an effective supervisory bond.

The supervisor who makes the most of the supervisory relationship by facilitating self-discovery is not directing a course of action for the counselor. Rather, he or she is assisting the counselor in acquiring a deeper understanding of human experience and hence, therapeutic possibilities. This is a supervisor who does not tell the counselor what to do, but guides the individual toward self-discovery as a means of enhancing clinical acumen. Unlike the relationship formed by the supervisor who is critical and insensitive, the facilitative supervisor adds depth to the relationship. It’s the relationship that becomes a central growth-enhancing component for discovery and development.

Thomas G. Durham, PhD, LADC, is Project Director of the Clinical Preceptorship Program at Danya International (www.danya.com) where he coordinates a worldwide program of clinical supervision to drug and alcohol counselors in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. As a certified clinical supervisor, he frequently conducts training workshops and is an adjunct faculty member at Tunxis Community College in Connecticut, where he teaches courses in counseling. He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

This article is published in Counselor,The Magazine for Addiction Professionals, October 2003, v.4, n.5, pp. 56-57.