CONTEXT IN SUPERVISION
IMPORTANCE OF CONTEXTUAL FACTORS
Gordana Mićović, 2007.
CONTEXT IS A MANIFESTATION OF THE FIELD
THE FIELD IS UNDIFFERENTIATED, THE SUB-FIELDS/SUB-CONTEXTS
DIFFERENTIATE FROM IT
For example: I am an event in the field, so I am a sub-field, a field in the hierarchy of
other fields.
THE FIELD IS CONSTANTLY CREATED AND RE-CREATED- family field,
work organization field, therapeutic context, supervisory context…
WE MEET ONLY THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE FIELD
THE FIELD IS ORGANISED, the organization gives a meaning in the certain context,
in other words the meaning depends on the position of the elements in the field (this
space is organized as a classroom…the whole event of our encounter is determined by
our task or plan)
A FIGURAL ELEMENT WILL DETERMINE OUR ACTIVITY
We, as therapist or supervisors, are responsible for the continuous awareness of the
figure/ground formation and destruction. The figure formation - a possibility that the
potentially relevant (the ID) transforms into an event – a activity, so the potentially
relevant becomes obvious. We are with those information that are figural..
Regarding some information we have to accept some limitations. Only those information
that are received and accepted become a part of the field. It liberate us from judgments,
criticism, harshness. The judgmental and critical position breaks the field and doesn’t
take into account the field complexity and our limitations, because the field is what it is,
and the truth as a total experience is not attainable.
ACTUALITY, THE PRESENT – TIMING
The present event can be explained only in relation to the constellation of the current
influences existing in the field. Influenced by past events the certain elements of the field
always become figural… together with client we confirm the clues that enable us to
understand the client/supervisee and how he/she chooses elements of the field and creates
significant events for himself/herself.
(For example: specific way of the field organization…narcissistic…diagnostic clues…as
elements of the supervisory process)
UNIQUENESS
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Each situation is unique. This uniqueness reminds us that there is a novelty in the field,
adds freshness to things that happened so many times in the similar, but not the same
situations. The same event can never happen again. (Freshness of our presentation or
what is the novelty in the relation to others)
PRINCIPLE OF RELEVANCY
EVERYTHING IN THE FIELD IS EQUALLY VALID,
all of us are potentially valid and somebody
will become a figure.
PURPOSEFULNESS – a purpose- an aim present in the field
Phenomenology, Field theory and Constructivism make a foundation of integrative
relational approach to psychotherapeutic theory and practice
Field theory includes a holistic understanding of man who is in interaction with the
environment, social world, organizations and cultural milleu. Everything is mutually
connected and any change in one part influences all other parts of the field. Phenomena
are in interconnected relationship and in a complex process. This is the reason why the
client’s illness is not pathologized but perceived in context. Therapist or supervisor must
not be interested only in one event but the whole physical, emotional, social and cultural
context in which the event took place. Field theory and particularly multicausality
minimize the generalization of causes and enables the psychotherapist to take into
consideration the client’s whole situation and see how it differs from his/her own. Both
field theory and constructivism are potentially liberating concepts that guide the
therapists to be aware of all factors that are relevant for a certain client, rather than
supposing their relevancy (Parlett,1993).
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PSYCHOTHERAPY
PSYCHOTHERAPY PROVIDES A SAFE CONTEXT IN WHICH THE CLIENTS
CAN CONFIRM VALIDITY OF THE MEANING GIVEN TO THEIR PAST.
THERAPIST
participant – observer
CLIENT
Client in the process of contacting the environment
-support system
-contact functions
-cycle of experience
-defence mechanisms
-self functions
-unfinished businesses
-polarities
Client in the relationship with the therapist
-transference
-countertransference
Client viewed through the field aspects
-significant current events
-significant historical events in family
-relationships in the past
-influence of culture
OBJECTIVE:
Dialogical-interpersonal relationship – genuine meeting
Dialectical-intrapsychic – mutual exploration of the client’s inner world
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SUPERVISION
Hyckner (1993) claims that both supervisor and supervisee form a totality that
provides a context for individual experience.
SUPERVISOR
participant-observer
SUPERVISEE
therapist
Co-creation
Reflection
Supervisee in the process of contacting the client
- contract(s)
- treatment strategies
- specific interventions
- ethical issues
- diagnostic issues
Supervisee in the relationship with the supervisor
- transference
- counter transference
- relational unconscious
- parallel process
Supervisee viewed through the field aspects
- significant current events
- influence of culture
- ethnicity, race, social status
- training programme, training in supervision
OBJECTIVES: to help the therapist to plan the therapy, to develop inclusion and
multiperspectival view of reality, to attain meta-perspective… Ultimate goal is a welfare
of the client.
HAWKINS & SHOHET
Minimum 4 elements in supervision
Supervisor, supervisee, client, work context
Only the supervisor and supervisee are directly present
Client and work context are brought in the supervisory session, via the conscious
and the unconscious of the supervisee (client may be present in the form of audiovisual record)
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In the background of the client and therapist or supervisor and supervisee there are
their ethnicity, race, cultural milleu, relationships to the others’ differences.
For example, some clients seek a therapist of the same race and culture.
A COMPETENT SUPERVISOR SHOULD HAVE A SENSITIVITY FOR THE WIDER
CONTEXT. HIS SENSITIVITY INFLUENCES THE SUPERVISORY PROCESS. WHY?
BECAUSE THE SUPERVISOR IS indivisible part of the context in which he works. He is
both an observer of and a participant in the supervisory process and in that way he co-creates the
meaning. The meaning of some event is understood from the perspective of a subject who
experiences it through certain context.
In the course of the supervision there is a process of two people who have two different
subjective experiential worlds, who share their own different perspectives, negotiate on shared
meaning, who respect differences in the other’s frame of reference, culture, personal life, gender,
social status, ethnicity.
It is very important to know these elements of the context and their influence, because they,
in the therapeutic and supervisory context, support the therapist/supervisor to create an
intervention in the certain moment.
SUPERVISION – CO-CREATION AND NEGOTIATION ON MEANING CREATED
BETWEEN THE SUPERVISOR AND THERAPIST. IT FACILITATES THE SIMILAR
PROCESS BETWEEN THE PSYCHOTHERAPIST AND CLIENT.
SUPERVISOR should carefully attend the conscious and unconscious
therapist’s/client’s communication in order to be able to attain meta-perspective on
psychotherapeutic alliance and context in which he/she operates.
Muller B. (1997) believes that a concept of “total therapeutic context” is a core of theory
and practice of Gestalt therapy.
Muller B. (1997) Concentration on the individual and uniqueness represents for a gestalt
therapist only one side of the coin. The other side is attention that should be paid to total
social and political situation linked with development. As therapist we are turned toward
an individual, searching for creative solutions, but still we are connected to social
conditions and ideologies, not only personally but through the client’s adopted values,
hopes and anxiety.
Our perspective should involve covert and overt dangers originated from “crazy”
people and structures that leads the whole society.
SUPERVISOR – SUPERVISEE
They create an interactive field bringing in it their own experiences that make a part of
the certain context, in the continuous flow of mutual reciprocal influence (Storolow).
Psychotherapy or supervision cannot be free of context.
Contextual factors may be very clear and obvious (skin colour, gender…setting in our
therapy room) or more complex (supervision in England as a part of European union) or
hardly visible. All of them must be taken into consideration when working with the
supervisee.
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Contextual factors influence the nature and quality of the supervisory relationship as well
as a choice of work focus. Our attention depends on the individual’s needs that organize
the field.
Context refers to the supervisee’s or supervisor’s present, past and future that in turn are
affected by supervision, because in the field everything is connected with everything else.
In order to understand the client or supervisee we need to understand all relevant factors
of the total field or whole context (interdependence of an individual and the environment
that may be internal /sensations, thoughts, feelings, hopes or dreams/ and external /other
people, plants, animals, inanimate world/). Lewin (1952) claims that any change in the
field influences the whole, so we cannot find any event that is a simple consequence of
the previous event. There is a multicasual explanation . Zinker, 1994.
Phenomenological approach requires a developed awareness of the relevant factors for a
specific client. Of course there is not an assumption of the factors that will be relevant.
The whole field or context or “total gestalt” requires to be explained in the multicasual
manner. The client’s/supervisee’s progress is a function of the total field. It is not
determined only by client’s/supervisee’s strength and motivation, but the
therapist’s/supervisor’s skills, their relationship and FACTORS RELATING TO HELPING
PROFESSIONAL ORGANISATIONS AND SYSTEMS…CLINICS, HOSPITAL, INSURANCE COMPANIES, FAMILY,
FRIENDS
(Yontef)
Wider context – Psychotherapy/Supervision field in Britain,
Europe as a wider context
In formal education very little attention is paid to cultural issues. In Britain the crosscultural training in supervision begins to develop and there are not many supervisors
educated for multicultural counseling, especially for multicultural supervision.
Elefgerido proposes that culture involves common events, practices, roles, values, myths,
rules, beliefs, habits, symbols… transcending ethnical and racial boundaries. Definition
of culture that recognizes all people in their total complexity, involving their racial and
cultural identity, is more suitable for the therapist because it enables them to work with
the complex differences existing within one or between cultural groups in the certain
context (reference to our group…cultural and religious differences..)
We should consider our psychotherapeutic models and their influences on people coming
from different culture, time and context.
SAMUELS (1993) said that it is impossible to describe a person separated from his/her
cultural, social, gender, ethnic and above all economical and ecological context.
The western society - cultural pluralism and recognition of multiculturality
It is important that the psychotherapist explores that client’s feelings toward the therapist
from different race and culture. It is also important to have capacity to accept the client’s
distrust or resentment toward majority culture Erfderido proposes that counselors should
transcend their cultural differences. It can be done by phenomenological analysis because
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it acknowledges the client’s and therapist’s unique world view and challenges the
therapist’s world view and value system that influence the therapist work.
A genuine dialogue needs the appreciation of differences.
Supervisors have a moral responsibility to become aware of multicultural issues. The
same responsibility belongs to their training organizations.
The psychotherapy and supervision context in UK is rich, various, changeable and
extremely complex to be understood.
Training in the supervision and psychotherapist’s development progressed in last two
decades. There is a wide range of trainings in supervision.
Development of training in supervision is a new phenomenon in Europe.
Attempts to connect the supervisors in Europe.
World Association for psychotherapy.
Developments in the field of supervision in the whole world.
Literature:
1.Perls,F.,Hefferline,R.,Goodman,P.1951(PHG)Gestalt Therapy,interni prevod IItom
2.Maria CGilbert &Kenneth Evans Psychotherapy supervision-An integrative relational
approach to psychotherapy supervisin
3.Phil Joyce&Charlotte Sills -Skills in Gestalt Counselling & Psychitherapy
4.Bertram Muller,Gestalt Review,1(2):94-109,1997-The Total theraoeutic Context;The
Craft of gestalt therapy:theory and Practice
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