Toward a multidimensional model for psychotherapy supervision based on developmental stages.

The need for a systematic approach to psychotherapy training in psychiatric education is greater than ever. Most models of psychotherapy supervision focus on supervisee development and ignore developmental issues concerning the other participants in the supervisory triangle. The author reviews theories of psychotherapy supervision and identifies factors that contribute to the dynamic interrelationships among psychiatrists who are supervising psychotherapy, the psychiatry resident supervisees, and their patients as each party progresses through stages of development. A dynamic formulation of psychotherapy supervision based on developmental stages can result in a better understanding of the instructional process, its greater effectiveness, and associated changes in program structure. Further development of a comprehensive dynamic model depends on additional research.