IJSP Number 8, 2026

International Journal of Supervision in Psychotherapy, Number 8, 2026 Page | 26 directly in the therapy process by contacting the supervisee ad hoc [3]. Supervision thus takes place live. This article presents a special form of live supervision as used in the training of Gestalt Theoretical Psychotherapists in Austria. Gestalt Theoretical Psychotherapy (GTP) is a legally recognized psychotherapeutic method that is grounded in the tradition of Gestalt psychology of the Berlin School. Although historically and conceptually related to Gestalt therapy and other humanistic approaches, Gestalt Theoretical Psychotherapy constitutes an independent method with a distinct theoretical foundation and a consistent critical-realistic epistemological stance  4  . Within this framework, particular emphasis is placed on the development of a reflective therapeutic attitude, an understanding of the therapeutic task, and the capacity to act competently within complex relational situations. Supervision also plays a very important role at this institution when students begin working with their first clients independently outside the training group. In the early years, frequent individual and group supervision sessions are essential. In addition, live supervision is used from the very beginning of the training, even before students work with “real” clients, when they practice therapy sessions in a training group. In this training group, the participants are both clients who are working on their own problems and issues through self-exploration, and therapists for their colleagues in the group guiding them through their own self-exploration process. Teaching therapists are present and supervise live. This form of live supervision offers unique learning experiences beyond conventional supervision formats. Direct observation of therapeutic work enables implicit decision-making processes to be made explicit, alternative courses of action to be explored collaboratively, and therapeutic interventions to be reflected upon with reference to shared experiential material. At the same time, live supervision poses methodological, ethical, and structural challenges, particularly regarding evaluative pressure, group dynamics, the therapeutic relationship, and the protection of clients. These ambivalences are especially pronounced in group-based settings, where the group may function both as a powerful resource and as a potential obstacle to learning. Against this background, the present article aims to examine the use of live supervision within psychotherapy training in a systematic and differentiated manner. Drawing on both the authors’ experiences as former trainees and current training therapists, as well as on semi-structured interviews with graduated psychotherapists, the article explores the didactic objectives, perceived benefits, and challenges of this training format. Particular attention is paid to the question of how live supervision contributes to the development of therapeutic competence, understood as the capacity to integrate personal attitude, relational awareness, methodological skills, and reflective judgment in concrete therapeutic situations. 2. LIVE SUPERVISION Supervision mostly takes place asynchronously, in that therapy sessions and supervision occur at different times. Content from the therapy session is discussed post hoc and is based on the supervisee's memories or on audio or video material  5  . Supervision, relying on verbal reports from the supervisee's retrospective can only be based on the supervisee's experience and perspective. Studies show that, especially in the early stages of