ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the experience of supervising all female and ethnically diverse group of Family Therapy trainees in London. Included is a study exploring trainees' speaking narratives looking at family of origin, school, and adult learning experiences. "Voice entitlement" was a major theme, contextualized by cultural, gendered, and second language effects. Construction of these narratives brought forth dilemmas in trainees' practice. These helped to explore difference, promote trainee's self-reflexivity, and offered opportunities for change, thus providing a valuable "tool" in supervision. "Voice entitlement" begins with the development of language and speech. Constructing the "voice entitlement" narratives brought forth dilemmas for trainees in how they talked with families in therapy. The chapter also focuses on three of the women's accounts, however all the women had powerful stories to tell. The narratives reveal the enduring influence of messages that trainees received from their family of origin about speaking, although experiences in education were also important.
