Supervision experiences of psychology trainees who conduct therapy in Spanish

The purpose of this study was to explore the supervision experiences of psychology trainees in the United States who conduct therapy in Spanish. The study examined trainees' language preferences and practices in supervision, the impact of supervisors' language ability on supervision, and the prevalence of ethically problematic training situations. Seventy-three unlicensed Spanish-speaking psychology trainees completed an online questionnaire assessing their training to conduct therapy in Spanish and their experiences with Spanish-speaking and non-Spanish-speaking supervisors who supervised their Spanish-language clinical work.;Statistically significant differences were found between trainees' ratings of the Spanish-speaking and non-Spanish speaking supervisors along several dimensions. Participants perceived their Spanish-speaking supervisors as more effective than their non-Spanish-speaking supervisors in addressing cultural factors and language challenges. They also rated their Spanish-speaking supervisors as more competent to supervise their work with Spanish-speaking clients. However, there was no significant difference between Spanish-speaking and non-Spanish-speaking supervisors in the factor representing the general value of supervision, which included having a good relationship, feeling supported, learning from supervision, and receiving useful feedback, as well as the impact of supervision on the quality of clinical services provided to Spanish-speaking clients. Furthermore, although participants were more satisfied overall with supervision received for English-language clinical services than for Spanish-language clinical services, there was no significant difference in participants' satisfaction with their Spanish-speaking and non-Spanish-speaking supervisors. Together, these findings suggest that trainees may not expect attention to cultural and linguistic factors as norms in supervision, but rather view these aspects of supervision as "extras" or specialty areas. Data also indicate that supervisor language ability has an impact on trainees' experience of professional identity. Findings regarding the overall training experience of participants are discussed in the context of two American Psychological Association ethical standards, including boundaries of competence and exploitative relationships. The results of this study highlight the need to integrate considerations of culture and language into all aspects of clinical training for all clinicians, regardless of language profile.