Why Supervision is Critical to the Development of Social Workers and Counselors
By Chris Campassi
The supervisory process for therapists and counselors serves as the backbone of the mental health profession. Master’s level Counselors and Clinical Social Workers are required to meet with a qualified supervisor for at least 100 hours of individual supervision and group supervision, over the course of at least 2 years after receiving a graduate degree. During this time, the licensure candidate will acquire between 2000-3600 clinical hours of experience (total hours requirement is variable from state to state).
Mentoring from a Seasoned Professional
During this two year period, it is the responsibility of the clinical supervisor to provide a structured and professional process that will provide education and training, support and mentoring. In addition, the supervisor will also provide collaborative consultation, depending upon the supervisee’s developmental stage and needs.
The Role of your Clinical Supervisor/s
The role of the supervisor is two-fold, ensuring that the supervisees’ clients are receiving appropriate treatment in a safe manner, while also evaluating the supervisee’s skill level and readiness for licensure approval. Through this process, the supervisee is not only being trained by an individual in the field, but is also being evaluated by a licensed professional supervisor. This allows the profession to train, monitor and gatekeep those entering the mental health field.
Responsibility of the Supervisor
With the liberty to self-govern the profession comes great responsibility on the part of the supervisor as well as the supervisee. It is critical that the supervisor provide a structured, timely and engaging process.
In doing so, they provide a space for the healthy development of a rapport between supervisor and supervisee. This supervisory relationship will model for the therapist the relationship they will want to have with their clients, as well as providing a foundational trust between the supervisor and supervisee. This trust will prove critical in repairing any damage that may arise from conflict or tension during the supervisory period.
Your Commitment is Crucial to the Process
Most important to the supervision process is the commitment of the supervisee. Often, when a new graduated therapist enters the field, there is such relief and excitement that there are no more academic obligations, papers to write or supervisors observing sessions as they do during practicum and internship. Autonomy initially feels like a great sense of liberation. You have arrived, and you are ready to take on the world!
However, your real training and development is really only beginning at this stage. This is your opportunity to learn from a fully experiential perspective, gaining insights through supervision that you can apply immediately and directly with clients. You can also bring real-life client issues into supervision for feedback and guidance. During this time, you will be challenged by your clients and supervisor alike, in an effort to help you grow your skills and conceptualization of clients, as well as your role in the profession.
Good Supervision gets you your license
The basic requirements of supervision for licensure is that you meet with a supervisor weekly for approximately 100 sessions and acquire 2000-3600 hours of clinical experience, including both direct client contact as well as indirect work.
A good supervisor will keep you organized, manage your caseload and provide general feedback and evaluation that will allow you to meet your required hours and qualify you to receive your licensure. As this is the goal of all provisionally licensed candidates, this is an incredibly important function, and is necessary for you to be successful. However, supervision can be so much more to you and your development.
Great Supervision forces you to grow
While it is of utmost importance that you meet your requirements for licensure, your work and supervision during pre-licensure is such a critical time for your growth as a therapist and professional. This time period helps with your understanding of systems and how to navigate them, how to care for yourself and set appropriate boundaries, and how to develop a firm sense of how to provide ethical and competent therapy.
During this time, utilizing supervision in an active and engaging way will lead to developing strong habits. In contrast, approaching supervision as a checklist of hours will likely lead to poor habits, unethical decision making and possible burnout before you even get your license.
Risks and Mistakes are Necessary and Important
My analyst told me a long time ago, “Chris, until you are comfortable making mistakes, you are not going to be a good therapist”. This was a huge learning experience for me as a perfectionist, a common trait in the helping profession. I imagine that many of you who read this will immediately relate. We are working to help people, after all, and you may sometimes feel that if you are not absolutely perfect, it may harm the client. Under egregious circumstances, this may be true. But, often the mistake can lead to important insights, or can at least be repaired with the client, assuming you have strong rapport.
To take risks and make mistakes in a way that is meaningful to the client and helpful in your development, you will need a true mentor working with you. A competent supervisor provides you the training, education and support to assess when to take a risk with a client and why. Likewise, a supervisor who truly has your best interests in mind will create an experience that allows you to make the mistakes necessary to learn and grow, while still promoting the development of your self-confidence. Making mistakes and then overcoming them is the greatest way to develop your sense of agency as a therapist as well as confidence that you can help your clients.
Clinical Supervision as the first step on a long journey
At times, clinical supervision will feel like a chore. You will want more autonomy and less oversight, after 2-3 years of school. This is pretty normal. However, if you take the time to find a clinical supervisor that prioritizes your development, you will find this to be an exciting step into the field. You will develop the habits of a competent and successful therapist, confidence in your ability to heal others, a passion for continued learning and self-growth, AND…. you will still get your license.
Clinical Consultation as Self-Care
Once you are licensed, you may feel that you no longer need ongoing supervision. And you may be correct that you no longer “need” supervision, as you have built your foundation of academic learning, your skills as a therapist, and professionalism.
But as you continue this work, you will find that it is a really hazardous field to work in without support. You will inevitably be exposed to vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue and potential burnout. Maintaining ongoing individual consultation or group consultation to monitor these experiences, while also getting support when faced with feelings of isolation or challenges with client issues will provide you the support you need and a safety net to prevent you from burnout.
Find the Right Supervisor for You
As you begin your pre-licensure supervision hours, take some time to evaluate your options for supervision. Many of you may already have a supervisor in place at your place of employment. This can be beneficial in that it does not cost you any out of pocket expenses, and will be sufficient for meeting your licensure requirement.
If this is the case, you may want to consider getting individual or group supervision once monthly with one of our Firelight Supervisors, to supplement your supervision at work and also to provide a different perspective on clinical issues that your agency may not serve.
For those of you starting a private practice or working in an agency that does not offer an onsite supervisor, consider hiring an experienced Clinical Supervisor at Firelight for weekly individual and monthly group supervision. We offer a comprehensive and structured experience that provides education, training, mentorship, evaluation and a development-focused process.
Author Bio
Chris Campassi is an Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS) and Program Coordinator of Firelight Supervision. He is a licensed psychotherapist in Colorado and North Carolina, blogger, and clinical supervisor for provisionally-licensed and independently licensed therapists. Chris enjoys helping men, medical professionals, and former athletes manage their anxiety and stress so they can live fulfilled and balanced lives. Follow Firelight Supervision on Instagram.
