What to expect when you begin Supervision

Completing practicum/intern is such a huge step, congrats! There are a few things that I run through with newly licensed LLPC's that contact The Michigan LLPC Supervisor about supervision for their full licensure.  

1 - Begin to familiarize yourself with the LPC application process for the state of Michigan. You may have 2 years , 3,000 hours of client contact and 100 supervision hours standing between you and full licensure - but that time will FLY! As the one gathering supervised experience you need to know state rules and where to find answers to your questions about the application process. Of course you can rely on your supervisor for accurate information, however, you need to also be able to locate rules, regs and guidelines on your own. Think of how you empower your clients to take control of their lives - your supervisor will encourage this for you as well (at lease The Michigan LLPC Supervisor does). 

2 - Keep your own documentation. Again 2 years, 3,000 working hours and 100 supervision hours IS a lot of time to keep track of. Trust me from one year to the next - you won’t remember what was completed and when. Also, things happen, professional relationships change, people move, there are natural disasters (COVID 19, Hello!)   - keep your own records of the hours you’ve completed, and get signatures from your supervisor on a regular basis. Let’s say something happens, and you’re supervisor isn’t able to contacted when you’re ready to apply for full licensure, while the state MAY not accept a log of hours with their signature (vs. the Counseling Endorsement Form) , they’re more likely to accept something like this vs. you asking them to take your word!

3 -  Bring your own discussion items to supervision sessions. No cases to discuss? No problem, there are always ethical issues to discuss with your supervision group or your supervisor individually. My suggestion is do some research and come prepared to talk about something each session. You can find several books written about ethical dilemma's, or by simply typing in counseling ethical dilemma's into a google search. 

Just a few things to get you started. The Michigan LLPC Supervisor is currently accepting new supervisee’s, s o if you're looking for an LLPC supervisor, email us!

To schedule a free, 30 minute, virtual, supervision consultation with The Michigan LLPC Supervisor, please click here