Supervisor and Supervisee Attachments and Social Provisions Related to the Supervisory Working Alliance

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between supervisors' and supervisees' self‐reported ability to make healthy adult attachments in relationships, social provisions , and the perceptions of the supervisory working alliance. Data from 67 supervisee‐supervisor dyads indicated that supervisees' social provisions and ability to make healthy adult attachments did not predict supervisees' or supervisors' perceptions of the working alliance at a statistically significant level, but the supervisors' ability to make adult attachments was predictive of both the supervisees' and supervisors' perceptions of the supervisory working alliance. Implications of the findings and directions for future research are discussed.