On Principles of Educational Change and Principled Action in Psychotherapy Supervision

Abstract

Change strategies/principles, a well-recognized and accepted component of therapeutic practice, have yet to be comparably considered in psychotherapy supervision. Can there be educational change strategies/principles for psychotherapy supervision? I take up that question subsequently. I contend that supervision is forever a principle-driven activity, that supervisors practice in a principle-driven manner, and that a common core of guiding supervision strategies/principles can be identified. Reasoning by analogy from the seminal works of Goldfried (Am Psychol 35:991–999, 1980; How people change: inside and outside therapy, Springer, New York, 1991; Clin Psychol Rev 33, 862–869, 2013) and Castonguay and Beutler (Principles of therapeutic change that work, Oxford University Press, New York, 2006a; J Clin Psychol 62:631–638, 2006b; Principles of therapeutic change that work, Oxford University Press, New York, 2006c), I propose one such common core: 20 educational strategies/principles that cut across any and all forms of supervision. What follows is foremost a stimulus paper, a starting point, designed to provoke further dialogue about this crucial but unconsidered aspect of supervision practice.