ABSTRACT
In this chapter it is argued that a sound contracting process underlies the establishment and maintenance of an effective supervisory working alliance. There is a focus on how cultural conventions and beliefs may affect this process. Whilst in some cultures an enquiring stance may be seen as paying respect to the self-knowledge of supervisees, in others the supervisor may be expected to understand and anticipate supervisee’s needs. Whilst formal contractual obligations and ethical imperatives will be agenda items, the effectiveness of the ‘psychological’ contract may have a greater impact on the success or otherwise of the supervisory relationship, by focusing on the informal and possibly unconscious obligations each expects of the other.
