Supervisor-supervisee role differences and consistency of behavior in supervisory conferences

This study investigated (a) differences in verbal interaction between supervisors and supervisees during the supervisory conference, (b) differences in verbal interaction between early and later conferences, and (c) patterns of verbal interaction displayed by supervisors and supervisees during the supervisory conference. Subjects were 15 supervisor-supervisee pairs who represented a range of supervisory experience and clinical experience. Three consecutive supervisory conferences were coded using critical ratios derived from a multidimensional interaction analysis system. Results indicated that supervisors' verbal behavior during conferences significantly differs from that of supervisees, with the largest contribution to this difference being the proportion of dialogue coded as initiation, participation, and diagnosis. Over time the group of supervisors and the group of supervisees remained consistent in their behavior. Conference interactions were more analytic than evaluative, more diagnostic than prescriptive, and more simple than complex. The data suggest that supervisors set the content and the interaction pattern of the dialogue, whereas supervisees follow their lead.