Psychotherapy Supervision and Attachment Theory: Review, Reflections, and Recommendations

Abstract

As a perspective on close relationships, attachment theory has been meaningfully used to stimulate understanding of parent-child, romantic partner, and even psychotherapeutic relationships. But how useful is attachment theory in stimulating understanding of the psychotherapy supervision relationship? In this article, we examine that question by (1) reviewing the primary conceptual/practical works where an attachment-informed vision of supervision has been proposed; (2) reviewing the limited empirical studies that have in some way addressed attachment concepts in supervision; and (3) considering what implications might be drawn from those conceptual/practical and research works. Based on our study and reflection, we propose and offer some discussion of the following ideas: (1) the psychotherapy supervisee-supervisor relationship, while having the potential to develop into an attachment bond, might best be viewed as involving an affective component that leads to the evoking of attachment dynamics (rather than “full-blown attachment”); (2) the attachment investigation of supervision has lacked for a conceptual model and an anchoring conceptual location; and (3) the attachment-supervision interface might be most meaningfully explored by locating that relationship within the context of leader-follower attachment relationships. Building on the attachment-supervision and leader-follower literature, some seemingly defensible and measureable hypotheses are proposed about the supervision-attachment relationship and tentatively offered as possible stimulants for pushing research in this area forward.