PERCEPTIONS OF SELF-DISCLOSURE IMPACTING THE SUPERVISORY RELATIONSHIP AND RECOGNIZING COUNTERTRANSFERENCE

Clinical supervision is an essential component in a social work student’s education and development in the field. Social work students should feel comfortable with their clinical supervisors in order to appropriately self-disclose during supervision and gain the ability to recognize countertransference when working with clients. The significance of this is that students should be aware of their feelings and learn how to process these reactions during supervision. A mixed methods approach was utilized, surveying and interviewing students and clinical supervisors affiliated with California State University, San Bernardino. A Pearson correlation coefficient was conducted to determine the relationship between the strength of the supervisory relationship and the ability of social work students to recognize countertransference. The findings of this study suggested that there are significant relationships between the supervisory relationship and perceptions of self-disclosure and countertransference. Based on the qualitative analyses, eight central themes emerged regarding supervision practices and the relationships between students and supervisors. The implications of this study should impact how clinical supervisors foster the development of strong relationships with student interns. This should allow students to gain skills to succeed and provide better services to clients