Supervisee Barriers to Disclosure and the Supervisory Working Alliance

This study investigated barriers influencing supervisees’ willingness to disclose clinical errors in mental health training contexts, with a focus on the supervisory working alliance (SWA) as a potential moderating factor. Participants read two vignettes – one describing a clinical error and the other a client concern – and were asked to indicate which case they would discuss with their supervisor. They also completed the Brief Supervisory Working Alliance Inventory–Trainee Form (BSWAI-T) and the Supervisee Disclosure in Supervision Scale (SDSS), which assessed the quality of the supervisory alliance and perceived barriers to disclosure, including fear of negative evaluation, lack of confidence, and performance pressure. Regression analyses revealed that both stronger supervisory alliances and higher barriers to disclosure were associated with a greater likelihood of selecting the clinical error vignette. A statistically significant interaction between SWA and SDSS suggested that the strength of the supervisory alliance altered the relationship between disclosure barriers and vignette selection. Specifically, at high levels of SWA, greater barriers were unexpectedly associated with an increased likelihood of selecting the clinical error vignette. These findings indicate that a strong supervisory alliance may create a context in which supervisees are more willing to disclose difficult material, even when barriers to disclosure are elevated. Implications for supervision include fostering relational safety, addressing disclosure-related concerns directly, and training supervisors to support open dialogue. These practices may enhance the professional development of trainees and improve supervision outcomes in mental health settings.