Although it has been well established that psychoanalytic candidates can suffer from many of the same unresolved conflicts as their patients, often colluding with them to create treatment impasses, the role of the supervisor in this collusion has been muchless documented.

In this article, an attempt is made to demonstrate how the psychoanalytic supervisor's conflicts can complement and compoundthe difficulties of the candidate and of his or her patient. As a consequence, all three parties can unconsciously collude to createa therapeutic impasse. Three case examples are presented to illustrate the supervisor's contribution to treatment impasses, particularly how he or she colludes with the candidate and the patient. It is suggested that when the supervisor becomes aware of his or her own role in the treatment impasse, resistances and counter-resistances in the psychoanalytic treatment situation can move toward resolution.