The supervisory alliance and the training of psychodynamic group psychotherapists

This article focuses on the role of the supervisory relationship in the training of psychodynamic group therapists. The supervisor's teaching responsibilities include identifying what the novice leader needs to learn about running a group, and designing and implementing supervisory strategies in a safe, collaborative, and creative setting. Of particular importance to psychodynamic supervision is the recognition of emerging impediments to learning and discerning their significance for understanding the underlying dynamics of the supervisees' treatment groups. Examples of two supervision groups are provided, one in which a misalliance had developed, and another in which a more promising supervisory relationship was forming.