Evaluating the Relationship between Supervisor Self-Efficacy and Competence and the Supervisory Relationship: A Mediation Model

The practice of supervision has several implications for the future of mental health. Despite these implications and a recent movement towards competency-based supervision, little research has been done on the construct of competency in supervision. This may be partially related to a lack of consensus as to what defines competency in supervision. Nevertheless, within the supervisory relationship, a supervisee’s perception that the supervisor is competent plays a role in the quality of the supervisory relationship. Additionally, it is hypothesized that a supervisor’s self-efficacy serves as a precursor for competency, indicating that a supervisor’s self-efficacy may influence their competence, and thereby influence the quality of the supervisory relationship. Given the lack of research regarding a supervisor’s self-efficacy, supervisor competence, and the supervisory relationship, this study examined the relationship between supervisor self-efficacy, supervisor competence, and the supervisory relationship. The results suggested that there was not a statistically significant correlation between supervisor self-efficacy and the supervisory relationship. This study also examined the correlation between supervisor competence and the supervisory relationship, finding a strong, statistically significant correlation between both variables. Finally, it was hypothesized that a supervisor’s competence would significantly mediate the relationship between a supervisor’s self-efficacy and the supervisory relationship. The results indicated that there was no interaction between self-efficacy and the supervisory relationship when supervisor competence served as a mediator