Psychotherapy trainees' experience of counterproductive events in supervision

The authors conducted interviews with 13 psychotherapy trainees about a cou nterproductive event that occurred in individual supervision, which was def ined as any experience that was hindering, unhelpful, or harmful in relatio n to the trainee's growth as a therapist. A qualitative analysis revealed t hat trainees typically attributed their experiences of counterproductive ev ents to their supervisors dismissing their thoughts and feelings. All train ees experienced a negative interaction with their supervisors following the counteractive event, yet most did not believe their supervisors were aware of the event's counterproductive nature. All trainees believed the counter productive event weakened the supervisory relationship and led to a change in the way they approached their supervisors. Although trainees typically t hought the counterproductive events negatively affected their work with cli ents, most did not disclose their counterproductive experience with their s upervisors.