Feminist and Multicultural Underpinnings to Supervision: An Overview

As the fields of multicultural and feminist psychology have matured, greater attention has been paid to the education and training of emerging therapists. Studies are focusing on integration of multicultural and feminist theories and perspectives that attend to a broader range of diversity topics and needs. The field is being transformed as we respond in our theory, practice, and training to the values and needs of specific groups and to the intersections of identity. This article provides a brief overview of the underpinnings of feminist and multicultural orientations to supervision as an introduction to the articles on supervision that follow and address the following questions: How do experienced educators and supervisors address issues of gender, culture, ethnicity, oppression, and disability with their supervisees? What are the central issues in their supervision that relate to the client and to the development of the supervisee? What do supervisors actually do?