Eagerness to Embark: 4 Things to Complete Before Starting the Supervision Relationship

Eagerness might be the enemy of quality supervision. Before embarking on any new supervisory relationship, you as the clinical supervisor should address certain important points. No matter a new supervisee’s competencies, you should take all appropriate steps to provide protection for yourself and your supervisee in the event that any issues arise (whether disagreements, differences of option, ethical concerns, or the like). The industry as a whole is working to create more uniform “best practices” for bringing new clinical supervisees into practices so that new graduates and counselors who are changing disciplines have a foundation on which they can rely. Adhering to the following steps will avoid difficulties later:

1.     Engage a trusted attorney that you can consult, and have him or her draft your supervisee contract.

2.     Interview all supervisees before you take them on to ensure that they are suited to your practice or agency.

3.     Ensure that you and your supervisee’s expectations align as they regard communication, critical incidents, mandated reporting, clients to be treated, modalities to be used with clients, and expectations for attendance.

After you agree to take on a supervisee,

4.     Perform a formal “intake”:

a.     Review the contract with your supervisee, reviewing key points.

b.     Sign the contract—and never backdate it.

c.      Agree on a schedule for your supervision meetings.

d.     Explain the evaluation process in detail, giving copies of the evaluations to your new supervisee.

e.     Explain how you will be counting supervision hours and signing off on them (preferably weekly).

f.      Explain the appeals process for your agency or practice, if applicable.

Taking on new supervisees is exciting, and being prepared to do so will decrease your chances of encountering problems and misunderstandings. This type of clinical relationship offers you as the supervisor the chance to extend your expertise while giving back to the clinical community in a new capacity, beyond treating clients. Doing so is a vital area of expertise in the field as we move forward to build the specialty of clinical supervision.

Written by Christina Murphy, MA, LPC, NCC, CPP