Supervision and the professional development of the psychiatric resident

The authors used a questionnaire survey to study the way psychiatric residents experience their psychotherapy supervisors at two points in their training. Results show that second-year residents were more critical in their evaluations of supervisors than first- or third-year residents and that there appeared to be a characteristic progression in the experience of residents from year to year. The authors believe that the resident's experience of supervision reflects a developmental process, which others have described and viewed as important in the formation of identity as a psychiatrist.