Understanding Supervisee Nondisclosures in Supervision with Videorecording Review

Abstract

Supervisee nondisclosures are a regular occurrence in supervision, with the vast majority of supervision sessions containing some form of nondisclosure. Nondisclosures may negatively impact supervisory alliances, therapeutic alliances with clients, and superviseesâ competency levels. The purpose of this study was to obtain, from the perspectives of supervisees, an in-depth and rich understanding of the experiences and internal processes of supervisee nondisclosures that occur in supervision with videorecording review. No other studies have examined superviseesâ nondisclosure experiences as they have emerged in the moment within their original social context. A total of eight participants were recruited for the present study. This included three supervisees who were graduate students registered in a masterâs of counselling practicum, along with their respective supervisors and client. A multiple case study research design was employed to study nondisclosures from a holistic perspective, capturing a breadth and depth of contextual data. Interpersonal Process Recall (IPR) was utilized to understand nondisclosures as a process that emerges out of a social context. This interview required the principal researcher and supervisee to review a videorecording of the superviseeâs supervision session in which the nondisclosures occurred. Thematic analysis was employed to create within-case analysis themes for each participant, followed by a cross-case analysis for all three participants. Among the steps taken to ensure rigour were member checking, peer review, and use of audit trails. Five overarching themes were found: (a) validation, (b) safety, (c) growth and accomplishment, (d) performance anxiety, and (e) avoidance. Following these findings, I discuss implications for clinical supervision, limitations of my study, and suggestions for future research.