Monitoring power in context: A hermeneutic exploration of relational dynamics in counseling and psychotherapy supervision.

Objective

This study explored relational dynamics within a supervisory relationship, focusing on power, multicultural considerations, and parallel processes. Method: Guided by Gadamerian philosophical hermeneutics, the exploration relied on an iterative, reflexive engagement with eight recorded supervision sessions to interpret how these dynamics unfolded across time. Reflexive thematic analysis was used within a hermeneutic framework to identify relational patterns, and the Shedler-Westen Assessment Procedure served as an additional interpretive layer, providing the supervisor's professional perspective on supervisee personality tendencies.

Results

Findings highlighted consistently fluctuating power negotiations, relationally embedded meanings shaping safety and disclosure, and tentative parallel processes that reflected patterns described in the supervisee's site supervision and client work. These dynamics appeared as interpretive layers rather than fixed mechanisms, emerging through the dialogical flow of supervision.

Conclusion

The study offers process-level insights into how relational dynamics take shape within lived supervision, illustrating the value of hermeneutic inquiry for understanding supervision as an unfolding interpersonal experience. Implications for supervisors include attending to relational patterns as tentative cues for deeper inquiry.