The Effects of Supervisor's Race and Level of Support on Perceptions of Supervision

Abstract

The effects of supervision support and supervisor race were examined in a 2 × 2 factorial design (high vs. low support × African American vs. Caucasian supervisor), with the inclusion of a no-supervision control condition. Sixty Caucasian women served as counselors in two counseling sessions with a confederate client. They were supervised by 1 of 6 experienced supervisors—3 African American and 3 Caucasian. Dependent variables included measures of counselor anxiety, perceived performance, satisfaction, and perceptions of the supervisory relationship. Results revealed a significant main effect for supervisor level of support but no significant effects for supervisor race. Implications of the findings and directions for future research are discussed.