Preliminary development and validation of the Supervisee Attachment Strategies Scale (SASS)

The influence of counselor trainees' adult attachment orientations in the context of supervision has the potential to inform both training and supervision practice. However, the pursuit of such research requires the availability of appropriate assessment tools. The present study describes the development and validation of the Supervisee Attachment Strategies Scale (SASS), a theory-based measure of counseling trainees' attachment orientations toward their clinical supervisors. Participants were recruited online through their training directors at Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers member programs. Data were nationally collected from 352 trainees representing programs in the United States and Canada. Exploratory factor analysis yielded 2 interpretable factors along the adult attachment dimensions of avoidance vs. engagement and rejection concern vs. security. These 2 factors accounted for 55.85% of the interitem variance in the rotated solution of the 22-item SASS scale. SASS subscale scores were negatively correlated with the supervisory working alliance and predicted greater endorsement of role conflict and role ambiguity in the current supervisory relationship. Higher avoidance (but not rejection concern) predicted diminished perceptions of satisfaction with the overall training experience. Findings from this study suggest that trainees who engaged in adaptive attachment strategies may be more likely to address conflict, negotiate additional explorative opportunities in training, and seek out their supervisors in times of uncertainty.