Supervision Philosophy

Choosing an LPC-Supervisor for your licensure process is an important decision. This is someone who you're entering a committed relationship with for at least 18 months! I am so glad you are here to learn more about me and to see if we would be a good fit. I would love to share a little bit about what my thoughts about supervision are.

I believe the purpose of clinical supervision is for the supervisor to act as a support system for my supervisees and as a guide for the profession. My role as a clinical supervisor includes offering support throughout the licensure process, but with different focus points as counselor, teacher, or consultant. My philosophy of supervision is that in these different roles a supervisor can play in the growth of a LPC-Associate, it is a dual responsibility between the supervisor and the LPC-Associate to decide which role is appropriate for each supervision incident, discussion, or session. An effective supervisor can recognize which hat to wear at any given moment in the supervision session and provide supervision accordingly. The role of the supervisee is to be willing to discuss their clients, their accomplishments, their areas for growth, countertransference, share vulnerabilities, and remain open to feedback on developing a counselor identity and establishing a grounded theory of counseling from which to practice.

I wholly believe that supervision is a collaborative process. The supervisor and the LPC-Associate share responsibility for the learning process. There is great value in self-awareness in clinical supervision for both parties involved. Self-awareness is also directly related to personal and professional growth, both areas that the supervisor can help foster growth for the LPC-Associate. As a supervisor, I hope to do this by encouraging you to reflect on and assess your progress and limitations. Part of this reflection process also includes ensuring taking on a culturally competent perspective of counseling and supervision. I have a clinical responsibility to promote culturally sensitive practices and inclusivity.

My model of supervision is based on the Discrimination Model and its focus on the roles of the supervisor as a counselor, teacher, and/or consultant. This mirrors my learning style. When I am new to learning a task or responsibility, I hope to have a period of teaching and shadowing and immersing myself in the task first (teacher), and then I feel confident when I am trusted to handle the task on my own (counselor), knowing that I could return to my support if needed (consultant). Thus, the Discrimination Model is my natural theory of supervision.

Another model that I find myself referencing is the integrative developmental model (IDM) of supervision. This model helps me logically and visually understand the different levels of my LPC-Associates and their training experiences about where they may fall in these levels. The levels also gave me a framework on how to approach supervision from the Discrimination Model standpoint.

As a LPC-Supervisor, I am committed to ongoing professional development through training, workshops, and attending conferences outside of, and in addition to, the required continuing education credits I am expected to obtain every two years for licensure. I hope to continue practicing clinical supervision throughout my career as an LPC, and inspire, motivate, and empower you, my future supervisee!

I’d love to hear from you so we can discuss further your supervision needs!