Supervisee self-disclosure: a clinical psychology perspective

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Professional Development

Background:

• Clinical supervision is vital in psychotherapy, particularly clinical psychology.
• Supervisee self-disclosure is crucial for effective supervision but under-researched in the UK.
• Existing research lacks focus on qualified clinical psychologists' self-disclosure patterns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate qualified UK clinical psychologists' self-disclosure in supervision.
• To develop a theoretical understanding of self-disclosure processes in this population.
• To address limitations in the current evidence base regarding supervisee disclosure.

Main Methods:

• Constructivist grounded theory methodology.
• Qualitative study involving ten qualified UK clinical psychologists.
• Analysis of participants' decision-making processes regarding self-disclosure.

Main Results:

• Four core categories emerged: 'Setting the Scene', 'Supervisory Relationship', 'Using Self-disclosure', and 'Reviewing Outcome of Self-disclosure'.
• These categories encompass subcategories influencing disclosure decisions.
• Findings suggest potential tensions between the scientist-practitioner model and supervisee self-disclosure.

Conclusions:

• Self-disclosure is important for effective clinical supervision.
• Clinical psychologists engage in complex decision-making regarding self-disclosure.
• The findings have implications for training and practice within clinical psychology supervision.