Training relationships that evolve along the mentoring relationship continuum (MRC) become dynamic, reciprocal, emotionally connected relationships that benefit mentees, mentors, and the profession of psychology. This article examines prominent ethical tensions and obligations in mentoring relationships within professional psychology. The authors frame these ethical issues in terms of relational dialectics theory (RDT), a theory of communication that addresses the tension and struggle between equally desirable relationship goals. We consider each of the 3 salient dialectics proposed by the theory: integration-separation, stability-change, and expression-privacy and offer a training vignette to illustrate each. We highlight the mentorship-relevant ethical quandaries and tensions nested within each relational dialectic and conclude with a discussion of the implications for psychologists in training roles.
The quality of the therapist-client working alliance predicts both a client’s persistence in treatment and the outcomes he or she achieves. More effective therapists are better able to establish strong alliances across a range of clients, and this is true regardless of the model from which they work. It is important, therefore, that training programs ensure that their graduates are able to develop and manage alliances with their clients. Supervisors are key to accomplishing this training goal. This chapter focuses on the supervisor–supervisee relationship and its effect on the supervisee–client working alliance. As detailed by the authors, the working relationship between a supervisor and a supervisee is paramount in the supervisee’s professional development. The supervisor–supervisee relationship provides the contextual framework from which supervisees begin to form working alliances with their own clients. The authors highlight areas of supervisory focus that can improve the supervisee–client working alliance by focusing on specific attitudinal and skill-related issues that affect working alliance-related competence.
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