Supervision Strain: Addressing Documentation Differences

Imagine you are several months into supervision and your supervisee brings in hours for your review. You find yourself noticing a discrepancy between your recorded notes and the hours your supervisee submitted. What do you do as a supervisor when hours must be questioned?

It can lead to an uncomfortable conversation and some supervision strain. Although the outcome could be any number of scenarios, we have the opportunity to learn from fellow supervisors on strategies for how to minimize documentation differences with our supervisees.

Tip 1. Track Supervision Hours

It’s a requirement of many licensing boards for supervisors to keep detailed records of clinical supervision including topics of focus in each meeting and client cases discussed. Don’t forget to record the date and duration of each professional meeting for reference.

Tip 2. Record Clients Seen each Week

Depending on licensing requirements, supervisees will be recording their client (direct) hours before submitting a completed application. Asking your supervisee about the number of clients they see each week can be helpful to your collaborative final review, in addition to supervisees recording hours in a shared, simplistic excel spreadsheet for accurate counts.

Tip 3. Have a Copy of their Caseload 

Recognizing that not all client cases are staffed in each supervision session due to prioritization or time constraints, having a complete client caseload can help with tracking hours as well as understanding how many clients you are responsible for as the licensed supervisor. Electronic Health Records (EHR) have made this easier for supervisors to access client caseloads and review/sign off on clinical notes if required.

Although your chosen response to an hours discrepancy with your supervisee is unique to you, we hope the above tips can help reduce the possibility of supervision strain when it comes to documentation differences. Seek consultation from colleagues and engage your licensing board for additional strategies as a clinical supervisor signing off on hours for your supervisee.

Written by Khara Croswaite Brindle, MA, LPC, ACS