Supervising Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Practitioners in Urban Brazil

Abstract

There is growing interest in the study of supervision as a core aspect of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) learning and practice. Standard models of CBT supervision generally contain some components of the following structure: teaching therapist conceptualization skills, interpersonal processes to build a collaborative therapeutic relationship, clinical procedures, and treatment protocols presenting specific procedures for particular problems. As is true for CBT practice, supervision is affected by the cultural context, including macrostructures (e.g., social and economic aspects) and microstructures (e.g., the institution where training is provided). The main goals of this article are (a) to review some of the key elements in clinical supervision of CBT practitioners, (b) to postulate sources of cultural variation that may affect CBT supervision in Brazil, and (c) to illustrate differences between CBT supervision models proposed in the literature and the practice of supervision carried out in Brazil.