Group Supervision vs Individual Supervision: What is Best for Me?
By Shannon Heers
As a therapist, counselor or social worker just starting out in the counseling field, you may be wondering about the different types of clinical supervision. Or perhaps you are aware of group supervision and individual supervision, but you’re not sure which is right for you. And that’s ok! It’s ok not to know.
I’ve been a clinical supervisor for over 15 years, so I know a bit about clinical supervision. While individual and group supervision are different, I believe both are invaluable experiences that all supervisees should have. Here is some information that will help you to make your decision about what type of supervision is best for you.
What is Clinical Supervision?
Clinical supervision for therapists, counselors and social workers is a process which helps support professional development and includes support, reflection and learning. Clinical supervision is how newer professionals in the mental health and counseling fields benefit and learn from more experienced practitioners.
Most if not all states in the United States require that provisionally licensed therapists, social workers and counselors practice under the clinical supervision of an independently licensed and experienced clinical supervisor. Supervision can happen face to face, via telehealth, individually or in groups, or within teams.
There are many varieties and ways of providing clinical supervision, as well as many different types of clinical supervisors. Read on to find out more.
What is Group Supervision?
Clinical supervision that is done in a group setting is considered group supervision. Supervision groups can vary in size depending on setting, state requirements, and populations treated. Typically you will see supervision groups of between 4-10 therapists. However, triadic supervision is also a popular way of providing clinical supervision and this is defined as 2 supervisees meeting with a clinical supervisor.
Supervision groups are led by an experienced clinical supervisor who has training and experience specific to providing group supervision. There are many different models and structures of group supervision, and all of them can be useful and helpful for supervisees.
Your supervision group can be a drop-in type group, where anyone is welcome to come and you are with different group members each time. A group like this can be ideal if you have a fluctuating schedule or only are working part-time. Or, conversely, you are in a closed supervision group that offers the same group members that you can get to know, trust and develop deeper relationships with. Either type of group supervision offers great benefits.
What is Individual Supervision?
Individual clinical supervision is when you meet with a clinical supervisor by yourself. With just the two of you in the room, you can really get to know each other and thoroughly develop your supervisory relationship.
You may have different individual clinical supervisors throughout your career, or even in different specialty areas. For example, you can get individual trauma supervision from a trauma clinical supervisor, or individual substance abuse supervision from an addictions specialist. As a therapist, I’ve received many different types of individual clinical supervision throughout my career and almost all of it has been helpful.
Seek Supervision or Consultation
Individual clinical supervision is when you meet with a clinical supervisor by yourself. With just the two of you in the room, you can really get to know each other and thoroughly develop your supervisory relationship.
You may have different individual clinical supervisors throughout your career, or even in different specialty areas. For example, you can get individual trauma supervision from a trauma clinical supervisor, or individual substance abuse supervision from an addictions specialist. As a therapist, I’ve received many different types of individual clinical supervision throughout my career and almost all of it has been helpful.
The Benefits of Group Supervision
Having facilitated group supervisions for many years, I am a big fan of supervisee learning and professional development through groups. There are so many benefits to group supervision, I’m not sure I can list them all. But here are a few:
Connect With Other Therapists
Just as humans need connection, we as therapists seek meaningful connection with others perhaps even more so. I’ve seen therapists who have met in a group and made lifelong friendships with the other group members.
Discover Different Modalities and Populations
There are so many different jobs and roles available to therapists and counselors, you may never really understand all the different modalities and populations that are out there. But being part of a group can help to expand your awareness of the different modalities, theoretical interventions and ways of working with different populations.
Feel Less Alone In Your Role as a Therapist
Being a therapist can feel isolating at times. Especially if you are working in private practice on your own or if you’re in an agency setting and are one of the only clinicians there. Being a part of a supervision group can help you feel less alone and remember that you are part of a bigger group.
Explore Group Dynamics
One of the things that I love the most about group supervision is the opportunity to explore the group dynamics of a group, even if it’s not a clinical group. As a group therapist myself, there is so much opportunity for great insight and professional development to be had within a supervision group that therapists might not otherwise be exposed to.
Learn Different Theoretical Orientations and Specializations
Most of us as therapists tend to use only a handful of theoretical orientations in our practice. Being in a supervision group can expose you to different orientations and specializations that you might one day be interested in pursuing.
Expand Your Networking Opportunities
Networking with other professionals in our field is a big part of our therapy work. Having a group of therapists that you can develop trusting relationships with may benefit you and/or your agency or practice in the future. The adage “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know” is definitely true at times!
As you can, the benefits of supervision groups are many. There may even be some benefits that I haven’t listed – if you’ve been a part of a supervision group in the past, what have you noticed that is helpful for you?
The Benefits of Individual Supervision
Individual supervision has many great things to recommend it. For starters, most if not all states require a large amount of individual supervision for therapists pursuing licensure. So all therapists, counselors and social workers will have experience in individual supervision prior to getting licensed.
And there’s a reason that individual supervision is so important. Here are some of the benefits of receiving individual supervision:
Develop a Meaningful Supervisory Relationship
Perhaps the biggest benefit of individual supervision is developing a trusting and supportive relationship with your clinical supervisor. This is the person that you’re going to be working with for 2+ years as you pursue your clinical license, so you get exposure to what it’s like to develop and have a meaningful relationship with another person.
Your clinical relationships with your clients can mimic the supervisory relationship that you have with your clinical supervisor. So as you are experiencing what it’s like to be in a positive relationship with your supervisor, you are also sharing this with your clients. Your clients are able to learn how to have a positive relationship with you, which then can transfer over to their relationships outside of therapy.
Dive Deep Into Your Clinical Cases
With individual supervision, you have the time and opportunity to really delve into your cases together. You can spend extra time reviewing your tough cases, and you can get through more case consultations in individual supervision than you can in group supervision.
This also gives you the chance to practice presenting cases to others, which is a great skill to have in your career. If you are coordinating care with other professionals, you need to learn how to present the pertinent information on your client quickly. Reviewing cases in individual supervision can help you with this skill.
Explore Transference and Countertransference
While exploring transference and countertransference can happen in group supervision, it is more likely to be caught in individual supervision as you explore your cases more thoroughly. Your individual supervisor may know you better and have more opportunities to catch any transference or countertransference that may come up with your cases.
Create a Professional Development Plan
Regardless if you have some significant areas of development as a counselor or if you’re on track with your development, it can help to create a personalized individual development plan for yourself. This is something that you and your clinical supervisor can spend some time creating together based on where you’re at with your skills and professional development.
As you pursue individual supervision for yourself, these are all important benefits that you may see as a result of your hard work with your clinical supervisor. There are likely many more benefits that I haven’t listed. What have you noticed about your individual supervision work?
What is Best For You, Individual Supervision or Group Supervision?
Ok, so after all of that information, you might still be wondering, what is best for me? Individual or group supervision? As mentioned above, you may not have a choice of whether or not to do individual supervision. Most states require at least a portion of your supervised hours be individually provided by a clinical supervisor.
However, many therapists, social workers and counselors choose to only engage in individual clinical supervision, and I believe that is a mistake. There is so much to learn and be exposed to through group supervision. I always recommend a combination of individual and group supervision for my supervisees for just those reasons.
In addition, it is often cheaper if you are paying for your own supervision to engage in as much group supervision as possible. Usually, the more supervisees are in a supervision session, the cheaper it is for each supervisee. Group supervision is beneficial and more affordable!
Things to Consider Before Starting Clinical Supervision
Ok! Now you’re all set to start your supervision journey, hooray! There are some things for you to consider before starting clinical supervision, however. Here are few things to consider:
Choosing Your Clinical Supervisor
Oftentimes, you may not have a choice as to who your clinical supervisor is. If you work in an agency, your supervisor is most often (but not always) your administrative supervisor or manager. However, you may still have a choice as to who provides your clinical supervisor – it never hurts to ask!
I recommend seeking out a clinical supervisor who specializes in what you specialize in or what you want to learn more about clinically. This person can help you develop your clinical skills in a particular area and is often a great resource in your clinical population.
Cost of Clinical Supervision
If you work in private practice, you may have to purchase clinical supervision on your own. If you work in a group practice setting, clinical supervision may be one of the benefits that the group provides. However if you work in your own practice or as a contractor for a group or agency, it’s likely that you will need to find an external clinical supervisor for yourself.
While cost should be one of the criteria by which you base your decision on finding a clinical supervisor, it shouldn’t be the only criteria. Newer clinical supervisors tend to offer sliding scale clinical supervision or lower-cost options that more experienced clinical supervisors. If experience is more important to you than cost, use that as your primary criteria for choosing a clinical supervisor.
Clinical versus Administrative Supervision
For many supervisees working in agency settings, your administrative supervisor is also your clinical supervisor. Administrative supervision may include things like managing your schedule, meeting productivity standards, and supporting the agency’s goals.
In contrast, clinical supervision is supporting you as a therapist and your own professional development, not necessarily that of your agency. As you can see, sometimes the roles of administrative and clinical supervisor may be in conflict. It is always preferable to have a separate clinical supervisor from \your administrative supervisor for these reasons.
Next Step: How to Find a Clinical Supervisor
If you’re ready to being your supervision journey, make sure that you take the time to research and interview potential clinical and group supervisors. There are many ways that you can find a clinical supervisor. Here are some:
- Ask your former school professors
- Contact colleagues in the field
- Do a Google search
- Search online supervision directories
- Check out local networking groups
- Explore social media
However you go about it, make sure that you don’t settle for someone who “might” be a good fit for you. As it may be a long-term relationship with your clinical supervisor, you want to spend enough time up front making sure that you find a good-fit supervisor for you. That will save you a lot of time and trouble in the long run.
In Conclusion
In sum, now you know the difference between individual clinical supervision and group clinical supervision, along with the benefits of both. You now know what to consider prior to starting your supervision journey and initial steps to take in finding a good-fit clinical supervisor. You’re ready to get started, and how exciting!
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Author Bio
Shannon Heers is a psychotherapist, approved clinical supervisor, guest blogger, and the owner of a group psychotherapy practice in the Denver area. Shannon helps adults in professional careers manage anxiety, depression, work-life balance, and grief and loss. Follow Firelight Supervision on Instagram.
