Supervisees’ of Differing Genders and Races Perceptions of Power in Supervision

In the current study, we examined the extent to which supervisees’ perceptions of power dynamics related to gender and race in a sample of 229 trainees. Overall, we did not find systematic differences in supervisees’ perceptions of power in clinical supervision based on their gender and race. However, utilizing differential item functioning (DIF) analyses, we found evidence that female and male supervisees perceived power differently for specific aspects of power in clinical supervision. Female supervisees perceived their supervisors as possessing more power in identifying goals of clinical supervision, conceptualizing client cases, and initiating discussions of the power dynamics in the supervisory relationship. Male supervisees perceived their supervisors as possessing more power in providing feedback about their clinical work and counseling skills. Regarding race, we found only slight-to-moderate DIF for one item, Item 10 (i.e. feedback on work with clients”). In light of small sample sizes for some groups, we also examined model-data fit for individual supervisees. These analyses allowed us to explore the degree to which individual supervisees interpreted power dynamics consistently with the larger sample. We identified individual supervisees for whom model estimates had different interpretations from the larger sample. Implications for supervisors and supervision scholars are discussed