Why Supervision Matters

Whew! It’s been a while since I’ve been here! It was a busy winter and is turning into a busy spring but I can’t complain.

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about my practice and revamping some things. Taking some risks. Needing a refresher.

As a clinician, one of the things I loved about my first job was supervising interns. I loved the educational and supportive aspect of things, being able to listen and offer solutions, or just talking through problems.

Most clinicians know that supervision is important, especially for clinicians who are pre-licensed. But what happens after?

I’ve had my supervisor since my first job out of graduate school.

As a single private practice practitioner, it helps to have someone to talk about all of the ins and outs of private practice, navigating insurance, still having to work through countertransference, and what happens if I have a client that I know isn’t a good fit for me.

There are a lot of skills that improve as you work in the field but supervision can still be monumentally helpful even for the post-licensed clinician.

Whether that’s talking through challenging cases, navigating private practice and insurance vs self-pay, how to manage feelings about the world and how that presents in session with clients, exploring and continuing to grow clinical skills, and career development.

I think we all need support, even if we think we should be “good to go” now that we’re licensed. The learning doesn’t end.

So if you’re a clinician, either newly licensed or thinking about private practice or have been in the field for a while, consider supervision if you haven’t already.