Remote but Together: Online Group Supervision During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on higher education, particularly the shift to distance learning, is examined in this study. Psychology graduate students’ subjective experiences of online group supervision are explored, and the pandemic’s influence on their learning is analyzed. Thematic analysis and computer-assisted qualitative data analysis of 14 student interviews reveal three distinct themes: (a) the presence of complex and ambivalent emotions; (b) significant influences of the online setting’s characteristics on student experiences, including formal and limited communication, disembodied interactions, and distractions; and (c) unique interactions within the online supervision matrix involving supervisors and peers, as revealed through a group-analytic approach. The findings highlight the relationship between online settings and psychological processes during crises, offering insights to refine online supervision practices in an evolving social world.