In the context of the importance of psychotherapy in mental health care the aim of our study is to highlight the importance of supervision as an integral part thereof.

We analyze the relationship between the assessment of the quality of supervision and the perceived self-efficacy of the psychotherapist as one of the antecedents of decision-making in the psychotherapeutic process. This framework is applied to an empirical study that focuses on psychotherapist's perception of clinical supervision in relationship to professional self-efficacy in the therapeutic process.

The study was operationalized using the Manchester clinical supervision scale (MCSS), containing a demographic questionnaire, counselor self-efficacy scale–modified version. One hundred and twenty-five psychotherapists with supervisory experience participated in the research, including 67 trainees and 58 graduates of psychotherapy training.

The results show a positive relationship between effective supervision and self-efficacy (r = 0.363; sig = 0.000; n = 125). The participants who attributed higher ratings to supervision and supervision work alliance also assigned higher scores to perceived self-efficacy–although there is a significant relationship among the participants of psychotherapeutic training (r = 0.444; sig = 0.000; n = 67), this relation is not significant among the actual graduates. Based on modeling, rapport was discovered to be the most important predictor of supervision effectiveness assessment.

The results support the merits of supervision in the education of psychotherapists and the importance of investing resources in its regular implementation.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.