Finding the Supervision Key of Therapists’ Progress

Abstract The purpose of this study is to compare the differences between Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) student perceptions of (a) types of praise used by MFT supervisors, (b) MFT students’ self-theory of intelligence, and (c) MFT students’ continued development of skills. Four hypotheses were tested stating that different types of praise used by MFT supervisors would have a significant effect on MFT supervisees’ development of skills. Two MANCOVAs were performed, which revealed that therapists praised for their efforts significantly continued to improve their professional skills, while others praised for their ability significantly reduced their efforts in upgrading clinical skills.