IJSP Number 5, 2023

16 therapeutic work to an attuned supervisor. It is in the supervisory dialogue that issues of reactive countertransference are revealed and, if contractually appropriate, resolved. Peer Group Supervision . When supervision is done in the presence of other professional therapists, the supervisor may choose to invite others to give their perspectives or possible treatment approaches. This often stimulates all the people in the supervision group to think about their potential interventions and the theoretical bases for those interventions. This is most effectively accomplished after the group of supervisees has had considerable professional experience; if done too soon the result may be a discussion of personal preferences rather than keeping the focus on what the client needs in their psychotherapy. Some of the difficulties with the group feedback approach include: the discussion may be side-tracked to the interests of other trainees; the feedback may centre on preferential styles; information may become repetitive; the person giving feedback may be more intent on gaining attention than providing information; and the process can be time-consuming. Some ways of making good use of the professional expertise in the group and overcoming these difficulties include setting time limits on discussion, asking supervisees not to repeat previous feedback but only add new information, or in giving each member a specific theoretical area in which to make their observations. Although group participation in supervision may be a complex supervisory task, it is extremely rewarding in that it includes all those present in developing options for the client’s psychotherapy. 4. ADVANCED PHASE OF SUPERVISION Multi-theoretical Perspective. Although discussions of ethics are central at each phase of training and supervision, the aim of supervision in this phase of professional development is for the supervisee to fully embrace a set of guiding principles to integrate multiple theoretical frames of reference, and to select various treatment options based on observations and hypotheses about a particular client. I often challenge the experienced supervisee to think about their clients from different theoretical perspectives and to talk about how they might work differently if guided by another concept. This is the phase in which the supervisee can develop their acumen by questioning both the theory they are using and how they practice psychotherapy. It is an opportunity to explore treatment options and develop flexibility in using other ways of working with clients. One of the ways I do this is to invite the supervisee into a dialogue that is shaped by following: 1. Describe the client’s overt behavior, affect, and physical reactions in detail as well as your emotional responses. Our discussion often focuses on distinguishing the difference between actual observations and countertransferential reactions. 2. Think about the observations of the client’s behaviour, affect, or physical reactions in terms of different theories. This discussion is often enriched when the supervisee can play with both the similarities and contradictions inherent in the use of various theories. This may lead to studying new concepts. 3. Discuss one or more hypotheses about this particular client based on a specific theory and contrast the various therapy interventions.