The Impact of Interpersonal Style on Supervisee Self-Disclosure, Perceptions of the Supervisory Working Alliance, Counselor Self-Efficacy, and Satisfaction with Clinical Supervisio

Despite the importance the mental health field places on clinical supervision, research in this area is relatively scarce. Research has examined several variables which contribute to effective supervision; however, limited research has examined how interpersonal styles of supervisees and supervisors affect the supervisory process. Thus, the purpose of the current study was to assess the role of supervisees' and their perceptions of their supervisors' interpersonal characteristics (i.e., warmth and dominance) on elements related to clinical supervision, including the SWA, supervisee self-disclosure, counselor self-efficacy, and satisfaction with supervision. Moreover, three forms of interpersonal complementary (i.e., complementary, acomplementary, and anticomplementary) were examined as they relate to these elements of supervision. Participants were 136 graduate students in APA accredited clinical and counseling psychology programs. Participants self-reported their interpersonal styles and provided perceptions of their supervisors' interpersonal styles, in addition to completing measures assessing the aforementioned elements of supervision. Results suggest that only supervisor affiliation was related to perceptions of the SWA, supervisee dominance and supervisor affiliation predicted supervisee self-disclosure (as did positive SWA), supervisee dominance predicted counselor self-efficacy, and no interpersonal characteristics predicted satisfaction with supervision. However, working alliance was related to satisfaction with supervision. There were no significant differences between the three levels of interpersonal complementarity with regard to the SWA, supervisee self-disclosure, counselor self-efficacy, and satisfaction with supervision. Results highlight the importance of developing a strong working alliance in supervision, as well as supporting supervisee autonomy and self-exploration. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed.