Identifying factors related to nondisclosure during clinical supervision among Chinese supervisees: Study protocol

Psychoanalysis is gaining widespread popularity as a therapeutic model in China. However, the absence of local accredited psychoanalytic training institutes necessitates that Chinese trainees and clinicians often receive supervision from European or American supervisors through online platforms. A key component of effective supervision is the willingness of the supervisees to disclose. This openness not only solidifies the supervisory alliance but also improves the supervisee’s self-awareness, self-efficacy, knowledge, and therapeutic skills. Emerging research highlights the significant role of cultural factors in shaping supervisory relationships. Our study aims to: (a) compare the disclosure and nondisclosure rates in clinical supervision between Chinese supervisees and their counterparts from Western cultures, and (b) examine the association between these behaviors and variables related to the therapeutic process among Chinese supervisees. We will employ a cross-sectional design, targeting Chinese psychoanalytic clinicians, both trainees and licensed professionals, engaged in individual clinical supervision. Recruitment will be primarily through the China American Psychoanalytic Alliance mailing list, complemented by snowball sampling. Data will be collected through an online survey hosted on the REDCap platform, focusing on the primary clinical supervisor of the participants and their supervisory experience. This research aims to provide insights that could enable supervisors of Chinese trainees to better understand and adapt to the relational dynamics in supervisory contexts. Additionally, it will lay the foundation for more detailed qualitative investigations into the experiences of Chinese psychoanalytic supervisees, potentially informing future supervisory practices and training methodologies. ### Competing Interest Statement Dr. Eric A. Youngstrom has received royalties from the American Psychological Association and Guilford Press, and consulted about psychological assessment with Signant Health. He is the co-founder and Executive Director of Helping Give Away Psychological Science (HGAPS.org). Dr. Alberto Stefana has no conflicts of interest to disclose. ### Funding Statement Yes ### Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: This research project has been granted an exemption by the Institutional Review Board at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (IRB #: 23-2796). I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable. Yes Once the study is completed, data can be obtained from the OSF.io website at this URL: https://osf.io/tfx8b.