A common assumption in family therapy supervision is that the relationship between supervisor and supervisee changes over time, following a developmental continuum from the tentative competency of the supervisee as a therapist to relative competency. In particular, Ard (1973) theorizes that supervisees and supervisors move steadily together through preceptorship, apprenticeship, mentorship, sponsorship and finally to peership. Everett (1981) presents a different model that likens the process of supervision to that of differentiation, such as the process of moving from childhood to adulthood, with "stormy" transition periods. To examine whether this process of change occurs as presumed by either model, a coding system of 15 response styles was developed for categorizing both the content and intention of statements made by supervisors and supervisees. Using audio tapes from supervisory sessions, the interactions of three supervisors and five trainees were analyzed over a 1-year period. The frequency of the different categories of interaction were compared in the early, middle, and later stages. Analysis of results showed that in the early months, supervisees' statements fell primarily into the following categories: giving information with self-assurance (25%), sharing equally information and ideas (23%), and expressing emotional response to the therapy situation or to supervision (14%). By the third and fourth month, supervisees gave the most statements in the categories of giving information with self-assurance (17%) and giving facts or expressing feelings/interpretations in such a way as to impede responses from the other person (15%). By the end of the period, 89% of the supervisees' statements were in the category of sharing equally information and ideas. The findings were compared with Ard and Everett's models and indicate that the supervisory process does not move steadily to a collegial stage as Ard suggests, but does follow the path outlined by Everett. (JAC)