Group Supervision of First Year Doctoral Students in Social Skills Training:

Abstract

This paper describes a group supervision of first-year graduate students in a practicum course in cognitive-behavior therapy in which social skills training was part of the curriculum. The experience is discussed in the terms of an integration of psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral frameowork. Different phases of the supervision are described and the salient characteristics of the corresponding supervisory approaches are identified. Examples are provided of how the integration of the two theoretical frameworks was used in teaching principles and methods of social skills training, and in meeting supervisees' needs as they adapted to a new training process and to new professional roles. Implications of this ecperience in the training of clinicians are noted.