International Journal of Supervision in Psychotherapy

Received: 16.02.2026; Accepted: 16.03.2026; Published: 09.05.2026

In the current context of professional training in educational and psychosocial fields, emphasis is progressively shifting from the exclusive acquisition of technical competencies toward the development of professionals’ reflective, self-regulatory, and identity-related capacities. Although traditionally established as a mechanism for monitoring and guiding practice, supervision is increasingly recognized for its formative potential; however, its explicit role as an educational space that supports self-regulation and the formation of professional identity remains insufficiently conceptualized, especially outside clinical settings. This paper proposes a reconceptualization of supervision as a reflective educational space grounded in the paradigm of integrative psychotherapy, approached as an epistemological and relational reference rather than as a clinical intervention. Supervision is examined as a structured relational framework that supports self-regulation, guided reflection, and the integration of professional experience into professional identity development. A central contribution of the paper is the introduction of the concept of reflective holding, defined as a non-clinical educational function of supervision that integrates relational containment, guided reflection, and the support of self-regulation. Building on this concept, the paper proposes a coherent conceptual framework that articulates the relationship between supervision, reflection, self-regulation, and professional identity in educational and psychosocial contexts. The implications of this framework are discussed for initial and continuing training, mentoring, and professional development, with a focus on the role of reflective supervision in supporting professional sustainability and the ethical delimitation of practice.

supervision, reflective holding, reflective practice, self-regulation, professional identity, integrative psychotherapy

1. Skovholt, T. M., & Rønnestad, M. H. (2003). Struggles of the novice counselor and therapist. Routledge.
2. Rønnestad, M. H., & Skovholt, T. M. (2013). The developing practitioner. Routledge.
3. Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. W. H. Freeman.
4. Zimmerman, B. J. (2000). Attaining self-regulation: A social cognitive perspective. In M. Boekaerts, P. R. Pintrich, & M. Zeidner (Eds.), Handbook of self-regulation
   (pp. 13–39). Academic Press.
5. Orfali, C. H. (2024). How higher education teachers see their professional identity. Frontiers in Education, 9, 1429847. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1429847
6. Lei, L., & Si, H. (2025). Supervisor conscientiousness and professional identity for graduate students: A moderated mediation model. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 76, 101221. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2025.101221
7. Bernard, J. M., & Goodyear, R. K. (2019). Fundamentals of clinical supervision (6th ed.). Pearson.
8. Watkins, C. E., & Milne, D. L. (Eds.). (2014). The Wiley international handbook of clinical supervision. Wiley-Blackwell.
9. Watkins, C. E. (2014). The supervisory alliance: A critical component of supervision effectiveness. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 68(1), 19–40. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.2014.68.1.19
10. Watkins, C. E., & Cădariu, I. E. (2025). The contextual supervision relationship model: Integrating relational and developmental dimensions. International Journal of Supervision in Psychotherapy, 7(1), 15–32.
11. Miller, L. S. (2023). Supervision to support reflective practices: Implications for school culture and professional development. Educational Leadership Review, 24(1), 45–60.
12. Schore, A. N. (2003). Affect regulation and the repair of the self. W. W. Norton & Company.
13. Siegel, D. J. (2012). The developing mind (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.
14. Erskine, R. G. (1997). Integrative psychotherapy in action. Sage.
15. Erskine, R. G., Moursund, J. P., & Trautmann, R. L. (1999). Beyond empathy: A therapy of contact-in-relationship. Brunner/Mazel.
16. Erskine, R. G. (2015). Relational patterns, therapeutic presence, and psychotherapy. Karnac Books.
17. Siegel, D. J. (2015). Interpersonal neurobiology as a framework for psychotherapy integration. Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 25(2), 123–134. https://doi.org/ 10.1037/a0039685
18. European Association for Integrative Psychotherapy. (2019). Training standards and competencies in integrative psychotherapy. https://www.euroaip.eu
19. Schön, D. A. (1983). The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. Basic Books.
20. Moon, J. A. (2004). A handbook of reflective and experiential learning. RoutledgeFalmer.
21. Gross, J. J. (2015). Emotion regulation: Current status and future prospects. Psychological Inquiry, 26(1), 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1080/1047840X.2014.940781
22. Fook, J. (2012). Social work: A critical approach to practice (2nd ed.). Sage.
23. Fook, J., White, S., & Gardner, F. (2006). Critical reflection in health and social care. Open University Press.
24. Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and identity. Cambridge University Press.
25. Winnicott, D. W. (1965). The maturational processes and the facilitating environment: Studies in the theory of emotional development. International Universities Press.
26. Milne, D. L., & Watkins, C. E. (2014). Defining and describing supervision. In C. E. Watkins & D. L. Milne (Eds.), The Wiley international handbook of clinical supervision (pp. 3–20). Wiley-Blackwell.
27. Vișcu, L.-I., Cădariu, I. E., & Watkins, C. E. (Eds.). (2024). Psihoterapie integrativă: Studii 5. Editura Institutului Român de Psihoterapie Integrativă.
28. Skovholt, T. M., & Jennings, L. (2004). Master therapists: Exploring expertise in therapy and counseling. Allyn & Bacon.