Characteristics of Supervision in Behavior Therapies: An Analysis of the Clinical Supervision Process

The characteristics of behaviorally based clinical supervision are presented. Eighteen open-ended interviews were conducted to supervisors from first, second, and third-wave behavioral therapies. These were analyzed based on an ethnographic approach. Participants reported an average of 17-years (SD =9.85) practicing as clinicians and 16-years (SD =10.51) as supervisors. The Altlas.ti 6.2 software was employed to analyze and synthesize the central processes embedded in supervision. Results found behavioral oriented supervision as the core category which encloses the following two axial subcategories: factors influencing supervision and supervision process. Case conceptualization, theoretical discussion, verbal feedback, shaping, and modeling were the most utilized teaching methods by the experts interviewed. We concluded that clinical supervision would be conceptualized as a process rather than an outcome. We discussed implications for clinical psychology programs when training future clinicians.