Relationship Between the Supervisory Working Alliance and Outcomes: A Meta‐Analysis

To answer the research question whether there is a mediation effect of the supervisory working alliance between supervisory styles and supervisee satisfaction, we developed a mediation model and tested this hypothesized mediation effect with a sample of 111 participants that was comprised of master’s and doctoral counselor trainees and counseling practitioners recruited from several counseling professional networks. Results indicated a statistically significant indirect effect of supervisory styles on supervisee satisfaction through the supervisory working alliance. Specifically, when supervisees rated higher on a mixture of three supervisory styles, they were more likely to report a stronger working alliance with their supervisors; this alliance, in turn, contributed to their higher levels of satisfaction with supervision. These findings also speak to the importance of maintaining a flexible, balanced approach in supervision, and shed light on how both supervisors and supervisees can contribute to the supervisory working alliance so as to enhance supervisee satisfaction.

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Validation of a Brief Form of the Supervisory Working Alliance Inventory

Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin ◽

10.1177/0034355219846652 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 63 (2) ◽

pp. 115-124 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Scott A. Sabella ◽

Jared C. Schultz ◽

Trenton J. Landon

Keyword(s):

Working Alliance ◽

Convergent Validity ◽

Secondary Data ◽

National Sample ◽

Full Scale ◽

Rehabilitation Counselors ◽

Supervisory Working Alliance ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Electronic Survey ◽

Working Alliance Inventory

The Supervisory Working Alliance Inventory–Trainee Form (SWAI-T) is among the most frequently used instruments for measuring the quality of supervisor–supervisee relationships within counselor supervision. Although the full-scale SWAI-T instrument has proven utility, there are instances when a shorter form may be useful for research and field applications. The current study used secondary data from a pair of cross-sectional studies to test the utility of a brief form of the SWAI-T in a two-step process: (a) reduction of the SWAI-T based on item analyses from an electronic survey of 87 rehabilitation counselors working in a Western state vocational rehabilitation agency and (b) an initial validation study of the instrument using electronic survey responses from a national sample of 228 rehabilitation counselors working in private rehabilitation. The resultant 5-item scale showed evidence of high internal consistency, convergent validity, and minimal differences in psychometric properties relative to the full-scale instrument. An abbreviated supervisory working alliance scale offers practical advantages for select research purposes and for continuous evaluation of supervisory relationships in field environments.

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The relationship between working alliance and client outcomes in coaching: A meta-analysis

Human Relations ◽

10.1177/0018726718819725 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 73 (1) ◽

pp. 35-58 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Carolin Graßmann ◽

Franziska Schölmerich ◽

Carsten C Schermuly

Keyword(s):

Working Alliance ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Cognitive Coaching ◽

Client Outcomes ◽

Negative Effects ◽

High Quality ◽

Helping Relationships ◽

Key Factor ◽

Coaching Outcomes ◽

The Relationship

A growing number of studies emphasize the working alliance between the client and the coach to be a key factor in coaching. Synthesizing 27 samples ( N = 3563 coaching processes), this meta-analysis sheds light on the relationship between working alliance and a broad range of coaching outcomes for clients. The meta-analytic results indicate a moderate and consistent overall relationship between a high-quality working alliance and coaching outcomes for clients ( r = .41, 95% CI [.34, .48], p < .001). Working alliance was positively related to all desirable coaching outcomes (range: r = .32 to .64), with the strongest relationship to affective and cognitive coaching outcomes. Moreover, working alliance was negatively related to unintended negative effects of coaching ( r = –.29). Results revealed no differences regarding the type of clients, coaches’ expertise, number of coaching sessions, and clients’ or coaches’ perspectives. Similar to other helping relationships like psychotherapy or mentoring, the results support the importance of a high-quality working alliance in coaching.

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