ABSTRACT
Having been engaged in the training and supervision of psychoanalysts and psychotherapists, and also in the training of supervisors, for many years, the author of this chapter have become increasingly more interested in how learning takes place in supervision. In his work, the psychoanalyst and psychotherapist has to take part with his whole personality. He has to follow and understand the conscious and unconscious aspects of the interaction, both cognitively and emotionally, and thus he has to be able to experience and observe at the same time. It is important to differentiate supervision according to the trainee's interest in increasing knowledge and skill on the one hand, and acquiring a profession on the other. According to psychoanalytic theory, the patient is directly and indirectly, manifestly and latently, expressing some wishes, needs, and intentions towards the analyst in the narrative of their interaction. The task for supervision is to create a setting in which the capacity to learn can develop.
