Thank you for your interest in the study. Please note, we are unable to offer financial incentives to complete the survey at this time. Your assistance with our research is greatly appreciated.

TITLE: An investigation of a supervisory intervention to promote metacommunication skills in psychology trainees.

PURPOSE OF THE RESEARCH: This phase of the study (phase one) aims to explore supervisee’s experiences of metacommunication in supervision.  

INVESTIGATORS: 

RESEARCH PROCEDURES: If you choose to participate, you will be asked to complete an online survey. The aim of the survey will be to explore your experiences of metacommunication within your primary supervision relationship. Metacommunication refers to talking directly about the supervision relationship with your supervisor. You will be presented with examples of different types of metacommunication and asked to provide a rating on: the frequency with which this occurs in your supervision; your willingness to engage in this form of communication in supervision; and your thoughts about your supervisor’s willingness to engage in this type of communication. You will then be asked to complete questions exploring the nature of your supervision relationship (including supervision working alliance, real relationship and parallel process). It is anticipated that this will take approximately 15-20 minutes to complete.

BENEFITS OF THIS RESEARCH: The development of relational competencies in psychology training is an important area for research inquiry. Metacommunication as a strategy to develop relational competencies is currently poorly understood and we hope that this research can add to our understanding of how relational experiences in supervision may assist in the relational skill development of psychology supervisees.

POSSIBLE RISKS/ DISCOMFORT: We do not anticipate that participating in this research carries risks of distress. However, in the unlikely event of distress, you will be invited to contact one of the following services for support:

Lifeline: 24-hour telephone referral and support service, 13 11 14

Beyond Blue: 24-hour telephone referral and support service, 1300 22 4636

PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIALITY: Your participation in this study is entirely confidential.  Your data will be identified by a unique code that you create. At the end of the survey, you will be re-routed to a separate survey where you will be able to enter your email address should you wish to be informed of future research opportunities. Your responses in the survey will be stored separately from and will not be matched with any contact details you provide.  This study has been reviewed by the Human Research Ethics Committee (Social Science, Humanities and Behavioural Science) of the University of Wollongong. If you have any concerns or complaints regarding the way in which this research is being conducted, please contact the University of Wollongong Ethics Officer on (02) 4221 4457.   

PARTICIPATION AND CONSENT: You are free to refuse to grant permission for participation in this study or, having consented, to withdraw your consent at any stage of the study. Refusing to participate or withdrawing consent will not affect your relationship the Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) or the University of Wollongong. If you have any questions about the study, please contact Frank Deane or Fiona Calvert as per the contact details above. Please note, you can complete this survey ONLY ONCE.

By checking the box below, you are acknowledging that you have read the above information and have had the opportunity to ask the researchers any further questions you may have. You are also consenting to participating in the online survey as well as for your de-identified data to be published in an academic journal and used for a PhD thesis. You are also indicating that you are aware that you can contact the University of Wollongong Ethics Officer on (02) 4221 3386 or at [email protected] if you have any concerns or complaints regarding the way in which the research is conducted.