Unearthing shame in the supervisory experience

A premise of this article is that the supervisee typically experiences shame in psychotherapy supervision. The purpose is to demonstrate that the discovery and exploration of shame by the supervisor and the supervisee enhance both the therapy and the supervision. The focus is on the supervisor's attitudes and behaviors toward the supervisee's shame. Using a case example, three important sources of that shame are discussed: (1) Shame that evolves from the relationship between therapist and patient. (2) Shame that arises from the therapist's fears of, or actual experience of, not being approved of or admired by an idealized supervisor. (3) Shame inherent in revealing personal material in a supervisory relationship. Six recommendations for exploring shame are offered to supervisors: (1) be alert to the therapist's disguised shame, (2) encourage the supervisee to explore how the therapy and supervision are experienced, (3) demonstrate the qualities of a psychotherapist by assisting the therapist in uncovering personal material that affects the psychotherapy, and (4) create an environment of safety where shame-related phenomena can be discussed with candor and curiosity. Supervisors should also (5) ease insecurities by modeling the activities they seek to encourage, and (6) avoid attempts to dissuade the supervisee of an idealizing transference toward them. Limitations of the recommendations are discussed.