Putting on the face: A qualitative study of power dynamics in clinical supervision

Nine master’s-level counselors (recently graduated) were interviewed about their experiences with power in clinical supervision. Using the consensual qualitative research (CQR) method (Hill, Thompson, & Nutt Williams, 1997), the authors derived five general categories: power resides in the supervisor’s expertise, supervisor error erodes his or her power, misuse of power elicits self-preservation, supervisor demonstrating trust in the supervisee’s abilities empowers the supervisee, and supervisor transparency reduces power. Power dynamics appeared to be most salient in situations where the supervisee experienced a negative supervisory event. Implications for training and research are discussed.