by Mara Gerson, Psy.D.

"NOBODY TEACHES YOU HOW TO SUPERVISE"

I’ve heard this phrase many times as a therapist, and imagine you have, too. It’s a truism that comes to life only once you have a sour interpersonal experience with a supervisor, or when you begin supervising and realize how distinct it is from being a therapist. A good clinical supervisor is undoubtedly skilled, yet often appears to be working intuitively. Like a good therapist, her technique rests within authentic relationality: something organic, highly responsive, and emergent through collaboration.

Luckily for us at NCSPP, Dr. Joan Sarnat, Ph.D., shared her model of “Relational Supervision” in an online workshop this October. She emphasizes that supervisors need to be attuned to the live relationship between supervisor and supervisee, in addition to the relationship between therapist and patient. Dr. Sarnat led us through a close listen of the podcast Three Associating, where therapists in training bring de-identified cases to discuss with a seasoned psychoanalyst. While the supervisor on the podcast is clinically astute, Dr. Sarnat noted that she missed how her own dynamics might be impacting her supervisee. We listened as if it were a clinical process note, and tracked how shame, aggression, and compliance played out beneath the surface of the interaction. Dr. Sarnat suggested inserting graceful process comments and self-reflections, and getting curious about the emotional undertones from both parties. She struck the right cord of not being overly intrusive or intimate, while still facilitating increased clinical depth and complexity. Her technique was also evident in her pedagogical style: she was humble, articulate, and attentive to our group process.

As a new supervisor, I found Dr. Sarnat’s slow and thoughtful approach quite grounding. I often find myself so eager to share my thoughts on case material that I miss the impact of what’s unfolding in real time. The urge to be “helpful” can get in the way of giving my supervisee the space she needs to think for herself, develop confidence, and be more alive to her countertransference. Coming off Dr. Sarnat’s workshop, something has started to shift in the way I supervise. I now see that modeling relationality—creating a real experience of attunement and responsiveness—goes farther than preaching it. In our group, participants with a variety of experience levels and approaches to supervision applauded Dr. Sarnat's expertise. I highly recommend her future courses to the NCSPP community.