Decolonizing Supervision: A Critical Race and Queer Theory Framework for Marriage and Family Therapy

Abstract Clinical supervision is often described as the signature pedagogy of marriage and family therapy (MFT) training, serving as the primary context in which supervisees develop their professional identities, therapeutic skills, ethical decision-making, and relational practices. Because supervision plays a central role in shaping how therapists engage with clients, critically examining the assumptions embedded within supervisory practice is essential. This conceptual paper argues that supervision is not a value-neutral process but is shaped by theoretical, ethical, and epistemological assumptions that can privilege neutrality, hierarchy, and dominant cultural norms. Drawing on Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Queer Theory, the paper examines how supervision in MFT programs can unintentionally reproduce racialized, heteronormative, and cisnormative assumptions that influence supervisory relationships and supervisee development. In response, the paper proposes a decolonizing supervision framework that reimagines supervision as a relationally ethical, reflexive, and equity-centered practice grounded in transparency, collaboration, and accountability. Through conceptual analysis and an illustrative vignette, the paper demonstrates how CRT- and Queer Theory-informed supervision can be operationalized through collaborative contracting, counter-storytelling, reflexive feedback, co-therapy and shadowing, and supervisor advocacy. Implications for MFT training and supervision practice are discussed, along with directions for future research examining how decolonizing supervision influences supervisee development, supervisory relationships, cultural humility, and relationally responsive clinical practice.