The Supervisory Working Alliance, Trainee Self‐Efficacy, and Satisfaction

Theoretically, when the supervisory working alliance is strong, the trainee and supervisor share a strong emotional bond and agree on the goals and tasks of supervision. Tested was Bordin's (1983) proposition that changes in counselor trainees' perceptions of the supervisory alliance over the course of supervision would predict supervisory outcomes. A national sample of beginning practicum‐ to intern‐level trainees were assessed at the beginning and end of an academic semester. Contrary to predictions, changes in the alliance were not predictive of changes in trainees' self‐efficacy. However, improvements in the emotional bond between the trainees and supervisors were associated with greater satisfaction.