Supervision is critical to the career development and advancement of many mental health professionals, including counselors, marriage and family therapists, and social workers. The boards responsible for licensure set standards regarding the number of hours, frequency and nature of the supervision necessary for licensure as an independent professional. Various professional organizations also set standards for other credentials and certifications. For example, the National Board for Certified Counselors requires national certified counselors to earn 100 hours of supervision and work as a counselor a minimum of 3,000 hours.
Given the centrality of supervision to the mental health professions, it is surprising how often it is treated casually. Clinicians who must document client files are often lax in how they treat the supervision they receive. One can understand why. Supervision can feel like a break from work, even though work is discussed. Unfortunately, supervision is not the time to relax.
It helps to understand the supervision requirements in the jurisdiction in which you are receiving supervision. Some jurisdictions have limited requirements for documentation, but most jurisdictions require some tracking of supervision. Although it should go without saying, it bears repeating: It is your responsibility as the professional receiving supervision to know what is required. Too often, the professional in supervision relies on more seasoned professionals for guidance. But rules and requirements can change, making it important for the professional seeking independent licensure to remain up to date, including verifying with the appropriate board what must be done to earn supervision hours.
Think about treating supervision sessions as you might a session with clients. In this situation, you are the person receiving a service — namely, supervision. Take notes, and follow up after the session with additional notes and thoughts. The notes and comments you retain will help to make clear that appropriate training supervision occurred. This can be particularly important if any questions arise regarding the type of supervision provided. Occasionally, the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board has to consider whether supervision should be classified as work supervision or training supervision. The details in the training log, along with the applicant’s explanations, can help answer those questions.
If a supervision form is required, use the form prescribed by the licensing board. If one is not available, create one that covers, at a minimum, the supervision date, the length of the session, name of the supervisor, topics discussed, required follow-up and similar entries. Consult your jurisdiction rules regarding supervision to make sure nothing is missed.
It can help to seek templates from supervisors or colleagues, but beware. Just because someone else is using a template does not mean that it is sufficient. Too many professionals have found themselves in trouble because they relied on the work of others instead of seeking guidance from their respective licensing board. Where supervision is concerned, it pays to confirm with the appropriate board what format, if any, is required.
Consider tracking work hours, particularly client contact hours. Also, be sure to confirm whether there are requirements to log separate direct client contact hours or “relational” hours. This distinction can be important depending on the license type or certification being sought, particularly if the supervision is earned by a marriage and family therapist. Documenting and retaining these hours can make a difference in obtaining a license in another state. Even if your jurisdiction does not have specific requirements for documenting supervision, you may wish to maintain it anyway, because other jurisdictions may require evidence of supervision when you apply for a license.
Some jurisdictions require persons seeking a supervision designation (such as Ohio for its licensed professional clinical counselor with training supervision designation) to complete supervision of supervision. Supervision of supervision is when a professional is supervised while providing training supervision. These sessions should also be carefully documented. Check with your licensing board to determine how (or whether) these hours can be used by each of the professionals involved because some jurisdictions limit who can claim the hours as supervision.
Retain an electronic version of all your supervision documentation. This log could be in a Word or Excel file, or you could regularly scan and save the written log to a file sharing service. A number of free and low-cost cloud storage solutions can help with this task. Your ability to use the supervision hours is only as good as your ability to document the fact that you completed the supervision.
Turn in supervision logs or evaluations as required. In Ohio, we recommend turning in evaluations at the end of the first year of supervision and the end of the second year, when the independent license is sought. We also recommend submitting evaluations whenever supervisors change. This helps to ensure that the supervision is documented fully. Although Ohio does not require submission of the logs, they must be available and up to date in case there are any questions about the supervision and the logs are requested to confirm any details.
Completing supervision requirements does not have to be stressful. By knowing the requirements, retaining good records and completing required documentation in a timely manner, a licensed professional can secure his or her independent license.
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Brian Carnahan is executive director of the state of Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board. Contact him at brian.carnahan@cswb.ohio.gov.
Margaret-Ann Adorjan is the marriage and family therapist licensure coordinator and investigative compliance officer for the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board. Contact her at margaretann.adorjan@cswb.ohio.gov.
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