ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the argument that intercultural supervision is ideally suited for encouraging exploration and critique of the narrative structure that the trainee therapist might adopt while forming their professional identity and shaping their practice. The author provides a reflective account of his own experience of utilising Joseph Campbell's popular narrative structure, The Hero's Journey, as an example of the consequences of a narrative left uninterrogated on the trainee's clinical work. The author takes a critical look at the cultural influences that led to adopting this specific narrative as well as the historically colonial and expansionist foundations of Campbell's model. A case study tracks the impact of these factors on the therapeutic triad of therapist–client–supervision; reflecting on the author's choice to share client material that, when presented to supervision, would progress a narrative which favours success and dominance. The author also reflects on how the narrative influences the therapist's “professional journey” whereby they adopt the profession's “trainee” mantle and forgo compensation.
