Marie-Louise Ögren

Group supervision in psychotherapy : Main findings from a Swedish research project on psychotherapy supervision in a group format

ABSTRACT Psychotherapy supervision is considered crucial for psychotherapists in training. During the last decades, group supervision has been a frequently used format in many countries. Until recently, very few studies had evaluated the small-group format for training of beginner psychotherapists and psychotherapy supervisors. This article aims to summarise and discuss main findings from a research project which used questionnaires to collect supervisee and supervisor reports about psychotherapy supervision in group. One such finding is that the group format contribute to an in-depth clinical experience. Second, both supervisors and supervisees reported that the working climate in their groups improved over time: a more flexible and collaborative style of interaction was used; the communication became more flexible, and fewer dysfunctional subgroups were maintained. These results suggested that strong efforts to establish close relationships in the group can limit group member involvement and hinder group development. A third finding suggested that there was no difference between supervisees and supervisors who worked with different psychotherapy orientations (psychodynamic, CBT) in terms of how they perceived that the group actually had been used as a didactic tool. In contrast, only supervisees and supervisors with a psychodynamic approach reported that more focus ideally should be on group process issues. Another study finding suggested that the organisational framework for psychotherapy supervision is of considerable importance for the learning process. This finding opens up a new area of research which needs to be explored in future studies. A conclusive discussion relates these findings to the general aim of this research, which is to identify and systematically examine issues of considerable clinical interest, and thus build bridges between academia and clinical practice. Recommendations for future research endeavours are outlined.

Role Patterns in Group Supervision

Abstract An analysis was made of 22 supervision groups in two psychotherapy training programmes at different levels. Its main focus concerned role patterns based on self-image ratings and changes over time. The results showed no significant differences between the two categories of supervisees, whereas the differences between the supervisors and the supervisees, independent of level of training, were highly significant. The results indicate that it is just as difficult to find ones voice and role in a supervision group at an advanced as at a basic level. For the supervisors the result was interpreted in terms of their roles in relation to the supervisees and the aim of the supervision.

The Group in Psychotherapy Supervision

Abstract The present study was carried out with the aim of exploring the dynamics and significance of the group in psychotherapy supervision. Students in four supervision groups, representing extreme group climates, were interviewed in the first sub-study. In the second sub-study a questionnaire was used to ask ten psychotherapy supervisors in the training programme about their experiences of the group climates presented. Both students and supervisors reported that factors related to the individual and group constellation exerted a decisive influence on the group climate. The importance of group interventions which affected the group climate was also emphasised. The group dynamics were central to the supervision experience and remained as an intensive experience long after the conclusion of supervision.

Patient Attachment to Therapist Rating Scale: development and psychometric properties.

Abstract Objective: To report on the development and initial psychometric properties of a new rating scale for patent-therapist attachment. Method: Seventy interviews from the Young Adult Psychotherapy Project (YAPP) were rated. Results: Excellent internal consistency (Cronbachs α > .90) was observed for all four subscales (Security, Deactivation, Hyperactivation, and Disorganization). Three subscales showed good inter-rater reliability (ICC > .60), while one (Hyperactivation) had poor (ICC < .40). Correlations with measures of alliance, mental representations, and symptom distress support the construct validity of the reliable subscales. Exploratory factor analysis indicated three underlying factors explaining 82% of the variance. Conclusions: The Patient Attachment to Therapist Rating Scale is a promising approach for assessing the quality of attachment to therapist from patient narratives. Future development should focus on improving the discrimination of the insecure subscales.

From psychotherapist to supervisor

This study accounts for supervisees’ and supervisors’ experiences of a group format for supervision, as well as the impact of the supervisor’s style in a two-year supervisor-training program consisting of weekly theoretical seminars and group supervision. The training program was based on psychodynamic theory and the prospective psychotherapists all had a patient in psychotherapy. Both supervisees and supervisors reported that the group format was experienced as particularly suitable for this training level. The “super-supervisor’s” style was considered important, as he or she served as a role model for the supervisors in training. The shift of role from psychotherapist to supervisor was specifically emphasized.

Intervjuer som prognosinstrument för studieframgång

Ögren, M.-L., Sundin, E. (2005). Interviews as instrument of prognosis for student development. Nordisk psykologi, 57, 271–287. Two different admission procedures (high school grades/scholastic tests and high school grades/scholastic tests/interview) to the five-year Masters Program in Professional Psychology at Stockholm University were examined. The analyses were based on data from students who were admitted on a combination of high school grades/scholastic test and interview, and students who were admitted based only on high school grades/scholastic test. In the final semester of the five-year Psychologist Program, the students and their supervisors rated the students development of psychotherapeutic knowledge and skills, and their relation to the supervisor and the supervision group. A self rating scale was used. The results showed that students who were admitted upon interview and their supervisors, rated significantly higher on all factors. Moreover, students admitted upon interview rated their development of psychotherapeutic skill significantly higher than students admitted traditionally. The corresponding difference between supervisor ratings was not significant. Both student and supervisor ratings indicated that the students admitted by an interview had a better relation to their supervisor and to their supervision group.

Professional development and psychotherapy supervision

As with the previous issue of Nordic Psychology, this edition is also devoted to papers presented at the Nordic Conference “Psychotherapy and Supervision Research in Dialogue: A Nordic Conference a ...