Supervision as an Intersubjective Process: Hearing from Candidates and Supervisors

This panel included two advanced candidates, Katherine Fraser and Joan Wheelis, each of whom presented intersubjective aspects of their supervisory experiences with control cases, and two training analysts, Jay Greenberg and David Sachs, who discussed the candidates' papers. Elizabeth Lloyd Mayer introduced the panel by pointing out that Fraser and Wheelis are experienced supervisees, and by applauding their candor for so openly presenting aspects of the supervisory experience that rarely are discussed in public. To start off, Mayer told the story of a candidate who kept certain aspects of the control analysis from the supervisor because of a clinical disagreement between them. She went on to describe the reality that at times candidates do opt to exclude the supervisor from aspects of the control analysis because they fear (rightly or wrongly) that disagreements with the supervisor may impede their progression.

The first presenter, Fraser, read a paper titled “What Goes On in Supervision and Isn't Talked About: Beyond the Didactic to the Dyadic.” She began with her conviction that the supervisory experience, which she defined as an “opportunity for the student to speak openly and privately over a period of time with an experienced teacher,” is often more troubled than is commonly understood or reported. She stressed the importance of informal discussion among candidates concerning their supervisory experiences, because she has found there are few formal channels for such discussion. At one formal