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The publication of these two books on supervision reflects a growing interest in what has been a relatively neglected area of psychotherapeutic experience. As Jacobs and his colleagues point out, supervision is often felt by the supervisor to be a break from clinical responsibilities rather than an important part of a senior practitioner's work needing careful thought and expertise. In his contribution Langs also stresses that the paucity of thought that has gone into the issue of supervision has tremendously important and often detrimental consequences on the subsequent functioning of the supervisee and his or her treatment of patients. Despite this initial agreement, it is difficult to imagine two books written on the same topic that are so different in their content and style.
Those who know the considerable body of Robert Langs's work in the last twenty years will recognise many familiar concerns and themes. Uppermost amongst these is his emphasis on the importance of the frame of a setting, be it for supervision or for therapy. He gives an excellent description of this, including, amongst other variables, a fixed time, fee, and meeting-place which must be quiet, private and used solely for professional practice. He attaches great importance to the issue of a supervisor's anonymity and the confidentiality of the supervisory relationship. Much of his subsequent argument is that grossly insufficient attention is paid in most clinical and supervisory settings to the effect that modifications of the frame or parameters have on the supervisory and clinical encounters. For this contribution alone, I think this book is worthwhile. Despite its many drawbacks which I will go into shortly,