ABSTRACT

Should supervision be hierarchical or collaborative? Directive or curious? Focus on building therapist competence or self of the therapist? In the AAMFT supervision guidelines, supervisor candidates are asked to articulate their models of supervision in personal philosophy of supervision papers. In this text, we do not attempt to teach people how to supervise; rather we seek to present multiple ideas about approaches to supervision so that learners can identify, clarify, and articulate their own perspectives and positions. The authors identity with three transcendental goals for CFT educators and trainers: increasing sophistication of family systems scholarship, socialization into the profession of CFT, and cultivation of professional maturity ( Lee & Nichols, 2010 ). To accomplish these ends we tend to be trainee-centered and collaborative rather than focusing supervision on our own therapy or supervision philosophies as the best way for all supervisors to work with all trainees. There are too many variables-trainee, supervisor, client, presenting problem, setting, theoretical approach, and so forth-to suggest that supervision philosophies can be monolithic. Besides that, we are systemic thinkers and believe in equifinality-there is more than one way to learn or supervise competent therapy.