From Attachment to Clinical Supervision Relationship Quality: The Sequential Roles of Insight and Cognitive Flexibility Among Counselors-in-Training in Türkiye
Description
Supervision is pivotal in counselor training, with the supervision relationship serving as its cornerstone. This study examines how cognitive flexibility and insight mediate the relationship between attachment styles (secure, anxious, avoidant) and supervision relationships among 421 psychological counselor candidates (75% female, Mage = 22.36) from 17 Turkish universities. Using structural equation modeling, data from the Supervision Working Alliance Inventory–Short Form, Three-Dimensional Attachment Styles Scale, Cognitive Flexibility Inventory, and Insight Scale were analyzed. Results indicate that secure attachment positively influences supervision through insight and cognitive flexibility, while anxious attachment exerts a negative effect via the same mediators. Avoidant attachment showed no significant mediation. These findings underscore the role of personal psychological factors in supervision and suggest implications for counselor education.