The Supervisory Relationship: A Contemporary Psychodynamic Approach - Softcover

Frawley-O'Dea, Mary Gail; Sarnat, Joan E.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1138871419 ISBN 13: 9781138871410

Publisher: Guilford Press, 2015

Synopsis

In the past two decades, many psychodynamic therapists have begun to view the relational processes taking place between patient and therapist as a central source of transformation. Yet traditional paradigms of clinical supervision, focusing primarily on didactic teaching, have limitations for training therapists to work in these new ways. This groundbreaking volume is the first to elaborate a comprehensive contemporary model of supervision. Using a wealth of examples and vignettes, the authors show how working within the vicissitudes of the supervisory relationship can allow the supervisee to gain a deeper understanding of the treatment method being taught. Key topics discussed include issues of power and authority, regression in the supervisory relationship, rethinking the "teach/treat" question, parallel process as a relational phenomenon, working with group process in case conference, and the role of the organization in supporting training.

About this title

Review

""The Supervisory Relationship: A Contemporary Psychodynamic Approach," by Mary Gail Frawley-O'Dea and Joan Sarnat, extends the intellectual vigor and clinical relevance of our multiple ways of knowing to the supervisory process in a manner that is accessible, thought-provoking, and immediately useful....We often read that 'both beginning and experienced practitioners will benefit from immersion in this work, ' and in this case that is absolutely so--but with the reminder that with regard to an educated approach to the field of supervision, this book will make us all feel like grateful beginners discovering new approaches and new possibilities to enrich our work and the work of our supervisees."--"Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association" ("JAPA)"
"While the book is full of psychoanalytic theory, there are many clinical vignettes that add depth and specificity to the theory....I strongly recommend it for those involved in the practice of supervision."--"Pastoral Sciences"
"The authors' argument is well thought-out and clearly presented. The relational model of supervision would be useful in any clinical supervisor-supervisee relationship, regardless of the therapeutic method used with clients. Frawley-O'Dea and Sarnat have written a book that takes clinical supervision into a more constructivist realm....The authors make an excellent point when they state that all supervisors must articulate their own theory of helping. Self-awareness is needed in any therapeutic relationship. Throughout the book are case examples of supervision to illustrate the concepts presented."--"Social Work Today"
"Frawley-O'Dea and Sarnat's book is useful reading for supervisors andpsychiatric residents in supervision. It illuminates important relational concepts. The text, in that it dramatically avoids associating psychoanalysis with natural science, offers a wonderful teaching opportunity, illustrating the diverse opinions in the field of psychoanalysis and the importance of pressing forward with a program to bring psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic supervision under the umbrella and scrutiny of natural science."--"Canadian Journal of Psychiatry"
.,."a timely book that will serve as a text for all levels of clinical training. The concepts of relational theory are particularly accessible in the book since it includes many case examples, which beautifully illustrate the authors' ideas. In addition in its pages, new questioning voices are raised that challenge, enlarge and enliven analytic discourse. The winds of change unfold, brining new and divergent ideas which may offer the reader greater freedom to think more broadly about treatment issues without feeling identity conflice as a psychoanalyst or psychodynamically trained therapist and/or supervisor."--"Psychoanalytic Social Work"
.,."supervision is finally getting increased attention. Frawley-O'Dea and Sarnat make a major contribution to this effort in their book, "The Supervisory Relationship: A Contemporary Psychodynamic Approach," by developing and demonstrating a relational model of supervision. They trace the history of psychoanalytic supervision and identify three essential dimensions: the nature of the supervisor's authority, the data focused on, and the supervisor's participation. Using these constructs, they review what they consider to be the major models of supervision--from thepatient-centered 'classical' model to the different therapist-centered models focusing on learning, empathy, or anxiety. Frawley-O'Dea and Sarnat go on to systematically develop a relational model of supervision and address important aspects of the relationship, such as the distribution of power and authority, regression, the teach/treat boundary, and parallel process. Along the way, they provide a great many supervisory vignettes that enliven the book and demonstrate their approach....careful readers, even those who disagree with aspects of the relational model presented, will find themselves thinking about and clarifying, perhaps in some areas for the first time, what their own theory of supervision is. This is truly a gift, and we have much to thank Frawley-O'Dea and Sarnat for in furthering the development of psychoanalytic education."--"Fort Da"
.,."a very important book. It enriches an all-too-small literature on supervision and consultation. It invites supervisors and clinical consultants to examine their theoretical positions on the supervisory process and consider their technique....The book is rich with clear arguments and compelling examples of supervisory dyads in the midst of a complex relational process of both observation and participation....A strongly persuasive and helpful aspect of this book is its use of detailed examples. I have rarely seen books on supervision that capture the conversations that are part of the work. Because of the multiple tasks and levels of analysis inherent in the endeavor, there are countless choice points in every supervisory session. It is invaluable to see the specific comments and responses, and to consider their subsequent analysis bythe authors. Here as they have elsewhere (Sarnat, 1992; Davies & Frawley, 1994), the authors show their talent at capturing the real drama of clinical and supervisory work....The core of this book is rich and could easily be elaborated to explore various implications or corollaries to the theory....I am delighted to have this thoughtful and thought provoking book to help me grapple with the plethora of choice points in the complex, multi-level relational process of a clinical supervision."--"Psychologist-Psychoanalyst"
.,."an engaging, clearly written, and intriguing addition to our literature, one deserving of our attention. This book will no doubt contribute to lively debate and discussion about the nature of the supervisory relationship."--"The Psychoanalytic Quarterly"
.,."a passionate and intelligent treatise supporting and expounding an egalitarian, relational, postmodern approach to supervision....Unhampered by the rose-colored glasses so often worn by idealists, the authors bravely and effectively confront the realities of asymmetrical relationships....So challenging and new was much of the material that I found myself reflecting on my own past experiences as supervisee and supervisor. Such ability to involve the reader is the hallmark of a valuable book. Bravo!" -"-Readings"
"This book makes a major contribution to the literature. Thoughtful, scholarly, and readable, it deals with contemporary relational supervision based upon mutuality between supervisor and supervisee. This teaching-learning-experiential matrix is cogently presented and demonstrated with lively vignettes. There is much here for experienced supervisors seeking an update, novice supervisors learning the craft, and supervisors of case conferences, as well as students who are interested in how supervision works." --Leopold Caligor, PhD, Training Analyst, William Alanson White Institute; Coeditor of Clinical Perspectives on the Supervision of Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy

"Over the past couple of decades, psychoanalysis has been undergoing a thorough reevaluation, recasting, and revision of all its fundamental concepts, in terms of both theory and clinical practice. Many new angles and fresh ideas about supervision have been introduced, but there has until now been no comprehensive, comparative text exploring different models of supervision, their theoretical underpinnings, and their clinical implications. This book is a timely, much-needed project. In its thoughtfulness and thoroughness, it should be of considerable use as a text for all levels of clinical training and as a stimulus for new thinking for clinicians of all persuasions." --Stephen A. Mitchell, PhD, Founding Editor, Psychoanalytic Dialogues: A Journal of Relational Perspectives

"This book provides a definitive relational approach to psychoanalytic supervision, and it does more. The authors give us an evenhanded and illuminating account of major psychoanalytic perspectives on supervision, making their points additively rather than by criticism and dismissal of alternate views. They address potential faultlines and dilemmas that all supervisors have felt at one time or another: transferences and countertransferences in the supervisory relationship; the problems and uses of regression; the teach-treat dilemma; conflicts between collegiality and inequality or dependence; and the supervisor's multiple loyalties to institution, supervisee, and patients. This openness and clarity, along with a hands-on feel that includes a rich sampling of extended case vignettes, will make this book of great use to supervisors of all psychoanalytic persuasions." --Nancy J. Chodorow, PhD, psychoanalyst and author of The Power of Feelings

About the Author

Mary Gail Frawley-O'Dea, PhD, is a faculty member and supervisor at the Derner Institute for Advanced Psychological Studies at Adelphi University, Garden City, New York; the Minnesota Institute for Contemporary Psychoanalytic Studies; and the National Training Program in Contemporary Psychoanalysis in New York City. She also is on the continuing education faculty of the National Psychological Association for Psychoanalysis, Inc., in New York City. Coauthor with Jody Messler Davies of Treating the Adult Survivor of Childhood Sexual Abuse, Dr. Frawley-O'Dea is a clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst in clinical and supervisory practice in New City, New York. Joan E. Sarnat, PhD, is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Berkeley, California. She is Board Certified in Clinical Psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology and is a member of the Psychoanalytic Institute of Northern California. She is on the adjunct faculties of the California School of Professional Psychology and The Wright Institute, Berkeley, California. She has supervised and led case conferences for over 20 years, and conducts consultation groups for supervisors.

Edition details

• Publisher: Guilford Press
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1138871419
• ISBN 13: 9781138871410
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1