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Agreement and Discrepancy Between Supervisor and Clinician Alliance: Associations with Clinicians’ Perceptions of Psychological Climate and Emotional Exhaustion

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Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Despite increasing interest in supervision as a leverage point for bolstering public mental health services, the potential influence of supervisory alliance on organizations and direct service providers remains understudied, particularly in the context of supporting evidence-based treatment (EBT) use. This study examined agreement and discrepancy between supervisor and clinician ratings of alliance associated with clinicians’ perceptions of psychological climate and emotional exhaustion. Results indicated that discrepancies in alliance ratings were common and associated with clinicians’ perceptions of psychological climate. These findings have important implications for collaboration among supervisors and clinicians within a community mental health organizational context and the provision of EBTs.

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Acknowledgements

We also are grateful for the support and collaboration from the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery and participating mental health organizations across Washington State.

Funding

Funding for this study was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (R01 MH095749; Dorsey, PI). Additionally, the preparation of this article was supported in part by NIMH K01MH100199 awarded to the first author.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Washington, 1417 NE 42nd St., Box 354875, Seattle, WA, 98105, USA

    Jill Locke, Michael D. Pullmann, Nathaniel Jungbluth & Shannon Dorsey

  2. Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA

    Stephanie Violante

  3. University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA

    Suzanne E. U. Kerns

Authors
  1. Jill Locke
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  2. Stephanie Violante
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  3. Michael D. Pullmann
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  4. Suzanne E. U. Kerns
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  5. Nathaniel Jungbluth
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  6. Shannon Dorsey
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Correspondence to Jill Locke.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethics Approval

The University of Washington Institutional Review Board approved this study. All procedures performed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the University of Washington Institutional Review Board.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Locke, J., Violante, S., Pullmann, M.D. et al. Agreement and Discrepancy Between Supervisor and Clinician Alliance: Associations with Clinicians’ Perceptions of Psychological Climate and Emotional Exhaustion. Adm Policy Ment Health 45, 505–517 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-017-0841-y

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