IJSP Number 5, 2023

14 A way to consolidate and help the trainee retain what was learned from the supervisory process is to ask for a summary after a period of feedback and discussion. The advantage of the summary is that it provides immediate clarification of what the trainee has identified as important in the supervisory process and can alert the supervisor as to the feedback that might be avoided; it is an assessment of progress at different stages of professional development. The same approach of consolidating learning may be used at the beginning of a supervisory session with a question such as, "What did you learn from the last supervision?" This question serves to provide continuity from one session to another and may be particularly effective in helping the trainee gain a perspective for on-going treatment planning. Written assignments may also be used to help maximize the gain in learning. Many trainees report that they have learned significantly from answering the specific questions following a supervision session: What was the problem presented? What did I learn from working with the client and from the supervision? What did I learn about myself? What will I do differently next time? The advantage of writing a paragraph or two on each of these questions is that it can fix certain points as important in the mind of the supervisee and provides an on- going record of professional growth. As the trainee reads through the file, areas of growth can be identified, as well as areas of resistance to supervision and where there may be an issue requiring personal therapy. The supervision log increases self- reflection and self-awareness and fosters thinking about alternative perspectives. As a result, it is useful in establishing a sense of confidence and competence. When the supervisor periodically reads the supervisee’ s log, a written response of appreciative support of strengths or a challenge to take the next step in learning can be added. Therapy for the Trainee . An integral part of supervision involves the resolution of a supervisee’s own issues which may be an interference in working effectively with clients. The supervisor may find it necessary to focus on the difficulties in the supervisee which inhibit their optimum effectiveness as a psychotherapist and then, through contractual arrangement, may proceed therapeutically with the supervisee. These issues might be unresolved conflicts from the past or the lack of awareness of that which has been introjected and not thoughtfully rejected or assimilated as one’s own. Often the supervisor sees the supervisee’s internal dysregulation or the areas of relational conflict between the supervisee and their client that never emerge in the supervisee’s individual psychotherapy. Therefore, the supervisor may be in the best position to therapeutically address these issues of countertransference. I think of countertransference as all the reactions of the therapist to the client that are the result of the unresolved conflicts within the therapist and may include their beliefs and memories as well as their hopes and plans for the future [12]. The aim of providing some psychotherapy for the supervisee, that is contracted for within the supervisory relationship, is to develop the supervisee’s integrated sense of Self so that the supervisee can use their whole vital Self as their most powerful tool in psychotherapy. This is accomplished through resolving whatever reactive counter-