Predicting supervisee role conflict/ambiguity: A model of attachment, supervisory style, and supervisory working alliance
Abstract
The purpose of the study was to understand the experience of supervisees in clinical supervision. In particular, the aim was to understand how certain characteristics of both supervisor (supervisory style) and supervisee (attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance) impact the supervisory relationship (supervisory working alliance) and the supervisee's experience (role conflict/ambiguity) from his/her perspective. The participants were 200 counseling psychology students from APA-approved Ph.D. and Masters programs across the United States. They were asked to complete four surveys and a demographic questionnaire via the Internet. The path analytic mediation model hypothesized that the relationship between both a supervisor's supervisory style and a supervisee's attachment anxiety and avoidance impact the supervisee's experience of role conflict/ambiguity and this relationship is mediated by the supervisory working alliance. The results showed that this hypothesis cannot be rejected and that the model is a good fit of the data. However, one of the paths in this model was nonsignificant. Therefore, a second model was tested omitting the path between attachment avoidance and supervisory working alliance. This model was a better fit for the data. The results of this study help to gain insight into effective clinical supervision, and may play a role in the matching process of supervisors and supervisees at training sites. The study also places emphasis on the importance of training of supervisors, and creating an awareness of the various aspect of the dyad that impact the experience of the supervisee.
Subject Area
Mental health|Clinical psychology
Recommended Citation
Spelliscy, Dorota, "Predicting supervisee role conflict/ambiguity: A model of attachment, supervisory style, and supervisory working alliance" (2007). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI3255005.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI3255005
