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Danielle Garcia Gomez, Ph.D., is a 2026 graduate of the Ph.D. Program in Couple and Family Therapy at Antioch University, New England

Dissertation Committee:

  • Lucille H. Byno, PhD, LMFT , Chairperson

  • Denzel L. Jones, PhD, LMFT, Committee Member

  • Kristi Harrison, PhD, LMFT, Committee Member

Professional photo of Dr. Danielle Garcia Gomez

Dr. Gomez

Keywords

harmful supervision, clinical supervision, supervisees of color, marriage and family therapy, power in clinical supervision, narrative inquiry, professional identity

Document Type

Dissertation

Publication Date

2026

Abstract

Harmful supervision is a critical yet often underexamined issue for supervisees of color (SOC), whose lived experiences are underrepresented in clinical supervision literature. Given the hierarchical and evaluative nature of clinical supervision, power dynamics are placed at the center of professional training, thereby creating conditions where unchecked supervisory power can lead to harm. Within Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT), research on harmful supervision is limited, despite the profession’s emphasis on relational dynamics. This qualitative study aimed to amplify the voices of SOC victim-survivors of harmful supervision and to answer the research question: How have harmful supervision experiences affected the personal and professional identities of SOC in the MFT field? By employing narrative inquiry and conducting semi-structured interviews with nine participants, this study sought to illuminate supervisees’ subjective experiences, contribute first-person narratives to a limited literature, and encourage dialogue, awareness, and meaningful systemic change. Thematic analysis (TA) revealed five major themes: abuse of power and unethical conduct; racial and cultural insensitivity; erosion of professional identity; psychological distress; and systemic failures. The findings suggest that harmful supervision is not only systemic, but it also profoundly affects supervisees’ professional and personal identities. By centering lived experiences, this study emphasizes the indispensable role of supervisee voices in understanding and preventing harmful supervision and calls for ongoing research to inform systemic change in the field. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu ) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).

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Candid photo of Dr. Garcia Gomez in doctoral regalia

Danielle Garcia Gomez wearing doctoral regalia at graduation.

ORCID iD: 0009-0002-1749-2913

Bio:

Danielle Garcia Gomez, PhD, LMFT, earned her PhD in Couple and Family Therapy from Antioch University New England and her Master of Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Southern California. She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, AAMFT Approved Supervisor, educator, clinical supervisor, and therapist who serves as adjunct faculty in a Marriage and Family Therapy program.

Dr. Gomez maintains a private practice focused on trauma, grief, ADHD-related challenges, domestic violence, and narcissistic abuse recovery. Her clinical specialties include parenting with ADHD, later-life ADHD diagnoses in women, grief and loss, and recovery from abusive relationships, including teen dating violence.

Passionate about the training of therapists, Dr. Gomez views clinical supervision as a vital space for professional growth and identity formation. Her scholarship focuses on harmful clinical supervision, supervisory relationships and power dynamics, professional identity development among therapists in training, teen dating violence, and grief processes among Latino/a and other marginalized communities.

Presentations:

Gomez, D. M.G. & Hutman, H. (2024, June). Shedding light on the secret of harmful supervision and its implications: Are people ready to hear this? [Round-Table Session]. 17th International Interdisciplinary Conference on Clinical Supervision, University of Redlands, Redlands, CA, USA.

 Gomez, D. M.G., Parker, K., Young, A.A., & Bonagofski, A.C. (2024, June). Is the mental health field paying attention: Inadequate and harmful clinical supervision with marginalized supervisees [Paper Session]. 2024 Groves Conference on Marriage and Family, Harlem, New York City, NY, USA

 Bonagofski, A. C.=Parker, K.=Young, A.,= Gomez, D. M.G. =Twist, M. L. C. (2023, September). A narrative analysis of symbiotic healing: The grief process and ecological symbols [Poster Presentation]. American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy Intervention Research in Systemic Family Therapy Topical Interest Network Annual Conference Provo, UT. USA.

Gomez, D. M.G. & Young, A.A (2023, September 27-28). The consequences of staying silent: A discussion on teen dating violence in latinx youth [Poster Presentation]. 2023 Latinx Mental Health and Social Justice Institute Symposium, Antioch University Applied Psychology Department CFT MA/PhD Virtual Research Conference, Antioch University New England, Keene, NH, USA. [Virtual].

Gomez, D. M. G., Twist, M. L.C., & Gomez, R. A. (2023, May). A review of the narratives of survivors of harmful clinical supervision [Poster presentation]. Antioch University New England Applied Psychology Department CFT MA/PhD Virtual Research Conference, Antioch University New England, Keene, NH, USA. [Virtual]. 

Bonagofski, A. C. = Parker, K. = Young, A.A. = Gomez, D. M.G. = Twist, M. L. C. (2023, May). A narrative analysis of symbiotic healing: Ecological symbols and the grief process [Poster Presentation]. Antioch University New England Applied Psychology Department CFT MA/PhD Virtual Research Conference, Antioch University New England, Keene, NH, USA. [Virtual].

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