Clinical Supervision for Colorado Social Workers
Why Clinical Supervision Matters for Colorado Social Workers
When I think back to my pre-licensure days, when I was an unlicensed registered psychotherapist and a licensed social worker, I had five different supervisors in 2.5 years. Some of these supervisors are still in my what would ___ do when I’m problem-solving a complex situation. For a few of the others, they lacked the skills, interests, or clinical insights that I was desperately seeking from my clinical supervisor. Having an under-skilled supervisor feels awful and, more importantly, panicky. If I don’t trust your judgment as my supervisor, how can I trust that I’m learning what I need to know as a licensed clinical social worker?
Clinical supervision is one of the most significant protective factors I can control in my social work practice. This is true for pre-licensed professionals (in Colorado, that’s licensed professional counseling candidates (LPCCs), marriage and family therapist candidates (MTFCs), licensed social workers (LSWs), and social work candidates (SWCs)) and continues to be true for fully licensed professionals (LPCs, LCSWs, and LMFTs). As social workers, our values are distinct, and our scope is intended to be broad and malleable. We’re asked and invited to work in various settings, so our practice adapts accordingly. You can find social workers in K-12 schools, child protective services, justice systems, public health, libraries, hospitals, doctors' offices, outpatient private practice, authors and influencers, elected to public office, veterans administration, community organizing, higher education & research (and this list isn’t even exhaustive).
Mentorship is crucial because our education opens the doors to so many professional spaces. Mentorship is a cornerstone of social work that holds the power to elevate our profession. By making mentorship more common, increasing the prevalence of licensed clinical social workers engaging in mentorship (both as mentors and a mentee), and embracing innovation, we can ensure that every social work student has the guidance and support they need to thrive. These relationships provide invaluable opportunities for growth, guidance, and support, fostering the development of competent and compassionate professionals. Mentorship or supervision relationships cultivate the acquisition of knowledge and skills and the nurturing of empathy, resilience, and advocacy.
How Supervision Helps with Professional Growth
Having a clinical supervisor you trust and respect has several benefits worth noting. Most importantly, clinical supervision decreases imposter syndrome and increases social workers' confidence in their work. Why many of the benefits of increased confidence can go without saying; the most important is its direct tie to mental wellness. Clinical supervisors offer a different perspective that can be instrumental in changing bad habits or unhelpful ways of thinking. The result of this is an increase in well-being and confidence. Likewise, supervisors can serve as a sounding board for mentees to test ideas or explore concepts. This leads to a better ability to problem solve, and mental flexibility is a sign of wellness we readily look for in the clients we serve and is worth prioritizing in yourself.
Clinical Supervision for Social Workers
There are numerous definitions of supervision. For simplicity, we’ll utilize the standardized definition offered by NASW: “...professional supervision is the relationship between supervisor and supervisee in which the responsibility and accountability for developing competence, demeanor, and ethical practice occur.”
The supervisor guides the supervisee, who applies social work theory, standardized knowledge, skills, competency, and applicable ethical content in the practice setting. The supervisor and supervisee share responsibility for carrying out their role in this collaborative process.
Supervision encompasses several interrelated functions and responsibilities. These interrelated functions contribute to a larger responsibility or outcome that ensures clients are protected and receive competent and ethical services from professional social workers.
During supervision, services received by the client are evaluated and adjusted, as needed, to increase the client's benefit. The supervisor is responsible for ensuring that the supervisee provides the client with competent, appropriate, and ethical services.
Differentiating Between Clinical and Administrative Supervision
Clinical supervision encompasses both supportive values as well as educational components. In clinical supervision settings, a supervisee can expect to discuss their practice, concerns, and goals and seek emotional and clinical support from their supervisor for constructive feedback. Your clinical supervisor also typically has training or experience in your areas of clinical interest. This is where you should ask questions regarding theory, method, ethical dilemmas, professional development, or case conceptualization and receive educational support from your clinical supervisor.
Administrative supervision has components similar to those of a typical manager or boss. It concerns your compliance and implementation of workplace policies, not specific to your development as a social worker but with your adherence to your employer.
Choosing the Right Supervisor
Who we learn from and work with is so important in our clinical practice. If your supervisor does not share the same values, ethics, and goals as you do in your practice, it can create fear, resentment, and general distrust. Recent research also suggests that quality clinical supervision can prevent social workers from experiencing burnout and leaving the profession. So much success depends on the relationship between the social worker and the clinical supervisor.
Finding a Good Fit: What to Look for in a Supervisor
You may have already chosen an inspiring clinical supervisor or are at the beginning stages of looking for a clinical supervisor in Colorado. The most important thing to take some time to do up front is to research and find a good fit for your clinical supervisor. Many aspects go into finding a good clinical supervisor while ensuring they will work well with you and your unique learning style, personality, and experience. Here are some suggestions before selecting your clinical supervisor:
Ask people you respect for recommendations. These could be colleagues, former classmates, professors, or networking groups. All of these spaces should have recommendations for clinical supervisors in Colorado.
Research clinical supervisors online and/or schedule consultation calls with potential supervisors. This will help determine their training, experience, expertise, and supervision style.
Brainstorm qualities that you appreciated from other bosses or supervisors. Were they direct and straightforward? Did they offer lots of praise and support while gently supporting growth and change?
Brainstorm the professional goals you have for yourself. Do you want to work in community organization or policy work? Do you want to open a private practice? Are you aspiring to be in an educational setting? Work with a supervisor who has a job you’re excited to have.
Ask questions of potential clinical supervisors to ensure they will fit you well.
10 Questions to Ask Potential Supervisors
1. Can you tell me about your professional background and experience?
Understanding a potential supervisor’s background and experience is essential to determine whether they fit your needs. Ask about their experience in your particular field and how long they’ve been a supervisor.
2. What populations do you work with, and what areas do you specialize in?
By understanding their expertise, you can determine if they are the right match for your learning needs and if they can provide you with the necessary support to grow and develop in your practice.
3. Do you utilize any particular modalities with clients?
Knowing whether a supervisor uses a particular modality can help ensure they align with your social work values and treatment approach. This is true for both clinical and non-clinical settings.
4. Why did you choose to become a supervisor?
Understanding a supervisor’s motivation for becoming a supervisor can provide insight into their approach to supervision and the support they can offer your social work practice.
5. How would your supervisees describe your approach to supervision?
A supervisor’s approach to supervision can make a significant impact on your therapists’ growth and development. Asking how their supervisees would describe their approach can help you gauge whether they are a good fit for your growth and needs.
6. How would you like me to prepare for our supervision sessions so that we can make the most of our time?
Knowing how a supervisor wants you to prepare for supervision sessions can help your therapists maximize their time with the supervisor.
7. How will we incorporate self-of-the-therapist work in our supervision?
Self-of-the-therapist (or social worker) work is critical to clinical supervision. Asking how a potential supervisor incorporates this work into their approach can help you receive a well-rounded, comprehensive experience.
8. How should I handle questions between sessions in emergency and non-emergency situations?
Knowing how to handle questions between sessions can help ensure that you feel supported and can address any concerns.
9. How often will we review the licensure requirements in Colorado?
Licensure requirements can vary by state, so it’s essential to work with a supervisor who is knowledgeable about your state's requirements. Up-to-date licensure requirements for Colorado social workers can be found here.
10. How many supervision hours can I anticipate collecting monthly with you?
Understanding how many monthly supervision hours you can expect to collect is critical for planning and budgeting.
Try Both Individual Clinical Supervision and Group Supervision
The most common format for clinical supervision in Colorado is individual supervision. Individual supervision really affords you the time to develop a good relationship with your supervisor and to explore your cases and other supervisory issues in depth.
Individual supervision is absolutely necessary for you to get the learning and oversight needed in your job and supervised hours, and most clinical supervisors are very proficient in individual clinical supervision.
However, group clinical supervision is absolutely something that all supervisees in Colorado should try. You get different benefits from doing group supervision than individual supervision. You learn skills such as interacting with a group of other professionals, and you become a part of the group stages of development which helps you become more comfortable and proficient with clinical groups that you may lead or facilitate in the future. When doing individual supervision, you get different perspectives on cases from the other group participants rather than just one. There are more options to role-play different situations, and learning from the other participants, their job roles and their different populations can be invaluable.
Mix individual and group supervision because both are needed, and each benefit is different. Group clinical supervision also tends to be less expensive than individual clinical supervision, and many supervisees choose to do primarily individual supervision supplemented by monthly group supervision.
Colorado social workers have many options for individual and group clinical supervision due to the rise of online supervision, so you shouldn’t have any problems finding an individual supervisor and a supervision group to join.
We are currently offering clinical supervision!
For current social workers or counselors looking to learn and grow professionally!
We can help you make good therapy choices for your clients. Finding everything that you want in one person can be quite challenging! At Two Rivers Therapy & Consulting, our experienced clinical supervisors offer all of this.
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If you are looking for clinical supervision or if you would like to talk to someone more about how we can help you, follow these simple steps:
Contact us today for a free 30-minute phone consultation
You can sign up for group supervision and bypass the consultation.
Continue your personal and professional development, learn new skills, and offer a place to explore parallel processes between supervisees and their clients.
Other Services Offered at Two Rivers Therapy
At Two Rivers Therapy, our team of caring and skilled counselors understands you may struggle with multiple mental health struggles. To best support our clients in achieving optimal mental health and well-being, we offer services for those needing anxiety therapy, depression treatment, trauma therapy, therapy for teens, and therapy for burnout. To learn more, check out our blog or About Us!
LCSWs Who Provide Clinical Supervision
