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Solution-Focused Supervision pp 161–176Cite as

Research and SF Supervision

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Abstract

Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg (1997) said, “Ever since I (de Shazer) began practicing brief therapy in the early 1970s, my ‘research’ question was ‘What do therapists do that is useful?’ In the 1980s, we changed this to ‘What do clients and therapists do together that is useful?’” I believe this type of question is very informative when discussing research and SF supervision, but the questions become more complicated because of the additional therapist/client interactional system. Freitas (2002, p. 364) summed up this convolution well when he wrote:

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Notes

  1. 1.

    1  “Supervisee” is the most common term used in the literature, in contrast to my use of “therapist” throughout this book. Some confusion results from using supervisee, a generic term which does not discriminate between students, beginning therapists, and seasoned mental health professionals. Throughout this chapter, I will use “supervisee” (to align with the research literature) and “therapist” (in keeping with this volume’s commitment to decreasing the hierarchy in the supervision relationship) interchangeably.

  2. 2.

    2  For a thorough list titled, “How to Be a Lousy Supervisory: Lessons from the Research,” see Bernard and Goodyear (2009).

  3. 3.

    3  Fictional psychologist and supervisor Dr. Alan Gregory said this to his inexperienced supervisee who was practicing beyond her competence: “The degree of difficulty you’re considering for this dive may be well beyond your demonstrated ability” (White 2010, p. 225). Hubris, loosely translated as excessive confidence or arrogance, is certainly a problem with some therapists (and supervisors) and cannot be ignored.

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  1. Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX, USA

    Frank N. Thomas

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Thomas, F.N. (2013). Research and SF Supervision. In: Solution-Focused Supervision. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6052-7_6

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