Why Consultation and Supervision Costs: What You Need to Know
By Shannon Heers
You’ve landed a job after graduation from your Master’s Degree program in counseling or social work, and you’re ready to make the change in the world that you want to see! But the kicker is that clinical supervision is NOT provided by your employer or agency, and you have to seek your own outside of work. Unfortunately, scenarios like this are becoming more and more common.
Or perhaps you’re already working the field, fully licensed, but still have that “imposter syndrome” mindset and are seeking additional clinical consultation in your area of specialty, and your work does not or cannot provide this for you. Or maybe you’re the only clinical/mental health specialist at your work and there’s no one who fully understands what you do, much less who can support your professional growth.
If you are like either of these two people, you start seeking out opportunities for external supervision and consultation. You may check with old professors or colleagues to see if they might provide this service for you, or look online for options. But then you realize that you have to pay out-of-pocket for these needed services, and you start wondering what you need to know about supervision and consultation costs.
Why Does Clinical Supervision Cost Money?
To become a good clinical supervisor, therapists invest a lot of money in training and their own supervision/consultation, along with obtaining years’ worth of practice doing clinical supervision. While it would be great if supervisors offered clinical supervision for free, that isn’t realistic.
As an Approved Clinical Supervisor, I have had over 75 hours of formal training throughout the years in clinical supervision. I’ve also invested money in getting my own supervision, and supervision of my supervision, from my individual clinical supervisor. In addition, being a good clinical supervisor, just like being a good therapist, isn’t something you can do just after you finish your formal training. It requires months and years of experience, and all of that costs time and money for the supervisor.
In sum, when you are paying for your own clinical supervision, your investment ensures your supervisor’s expertise through training and experience.
Range of Costs
There is a large range of costs for clinical supervision and clinical consultation services, based on modality (individual versus group) and supervisor training and experience. Usually, group supervision or consultation is less costly than individual supervision or consultation. The number of therapists or social workers per group may be a determinant in the cost of the group. If there is a group with 10-12 people, the cost will likely be lower than if you join a smaller group with 3-6 therapists.
For individual supervision and consultation, your clinical supervisor is giving up an hour of their clinical time to provide you with supervision. Often, the supervisor’s clinical rate per session is higher than their supervision rate per session, and yet there is more liability involved for the supervisor if you are only provisionally-licensed and thus practicing under that supervisor’s license.
Why Does Some Supervision or Consultation Cost More?
As an Approved Clinical Supervisor with extensive training and experience in clinical supervision, I have seen rates as low as $25 for group supervision/consultation and as high as $100 per group. For individual supervision or consultation, I have seen rates range from $50-$200+ per hour.
Rates in your area for supervision and consultation may be affected by supply and demand, geographic area, supervisor training and expertise, and even your license type (counselor, social worker, psychologist, marriage and family therapists, addictions counselors, etc.). Usually, you will find less expensive rates with newer and more inexperienced clinical supervisors, and higher rates with more trained and experienced clinical supervisors.
How to Choose a Clinical Supervisor
With so many options for clinical supervision or consultation, how do you know who to choose? Some things to take into account are:
- Clinical expertise of the supervisor – do they have a specialization that you’re particularly interested in?
- Supervision training of the supervisor – how much formal training and experience do they have in providing clinical supervision or consultation?
- Supervision of the supervisor – does the clinical supervisor get their own clinical consultation, thus receiving the same services they are providing?
- Style fit – does the supervisor’s style fit with how you like to learn?
- Group options – is group supervision or consultation offered, to help you offset the cost of individual?
- Cost of services – can you afford this long-term?
Make sure you’re taking all of these things into account when you’re choosing a clinical supervisor. If you use only one of these points to make your decision, you’re likely neglecting an important aspect of your ongoing professional development. After all, you’re going to be developing a long-term relationship with your clinical supervisor, so make sure you do your research and choose wisely!
What a wonderful world it would be if everyone in the mental health and social work field were provided free clinical supervision and consultation! Until that happens, though, these are the things that you need to know about clinical supervision and consultation costs.
If you’re interested in learning more about our clinical supervisors at Firelight Supervision, check out our supervisor bios here. We offer supervisors with a variety of clinical experience and specializations, and all of our clinical supervisors are fully trained and experienced in providing clinical supervision!
Author Biography
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.
