supervision & consultation
welcome to the field, we're glad you're here.
As an emerging professional, you're uniquely positioned to change the world. I mean it. Studies show that early-career therapists are as effective, if not more effective, as veteran therapists. Why? I believe the answer lies in what makes therapy work. The general consensus is the foundation of any successful treatment experience, no matter the modality, is inherently humanistic. Consider some questions that get to the heart of the matter:
Are we, as therapists, able to develop strong, authentic bonds with our clients?
Extend genuine hope and belief in our clients and our work that improves motivation?
Provide fresh insight respective to our client's unique worldview, not some canned therapy answer?
Co-create a corrective experience through meaningful rituals, small and large, that honor the our collective work?
At Journey Bound, we directly support emerging clinicians and other helpers who've answered the call to embody what makes therapy work.
The distinction between consultation and supervision is an important one.
Consultants offer input addressing a specific target identified by the consultee. It is naturally limited to the knowledge the consultant has garnered within the field as opposed to a deep, individualized understanding the consultee's business. The consultee's business functions independent of the consultation arrangement and the consultant holds no supervisory duty to the business, meaning all information sharing is voluntary and the consultee can choose to implement the suggestions or not. As such, the consultee maintains legal control and responsibility for associated actions. Consultation is a near-term agreement geared to getting clarity around a specific target.
Clinical supervisors provide direct oversight of a professional's work. It is complete and comprehensive by nature, requiring the supervisor have knowledge of the professional's practice in its entirety. It is typically provided to associates who are pursuing full licensure. Because associates cannot practice independently, a clinical supervisor provides the umbrella under which the associate works. In its truest form, the associate learns under the tutelage of the supervisor. The supervisor is a seasoned professional who has engaged in training beyond just experience a requisite mastery of the craft and the dissemintation of the craft, and is thus entrusted to the supervisee's ethical delivery of services typically reserved for fully licensed professionals. As such, the supervisor carries significant legal and fiduciary responsibility for the actions of their supervisees, as they are resonpsible for the welfare of the supervisee's clients.
Clinical supervision is a longterm investment characterized by a contractual commitment and high levels of onus on both parties.
Are you looking for consultation or do you need supervision?
supervision with journey bound
Supervision designed for you.
I view true clinical supervision as a partnership between myself and the supervisee. Often times, we're making a multi-year commitment. Instead of hastening into case conceptualizations and other client-focused conversation, we start our working relationship establishing what you need. We'll map your professional values, aspirational vision, and consider any limits that may interfere with this on the supervision front. We'll revisit these throughout our work together as a framework to guide your practice, alongside ethical codes, professional standards and legal mandates that govern our work.
It's more than just our 90 hours of 1:1 direct supervision.
As your supervisor, you can expect more from me than hourly supervision. I am responsible for the advancement of your critical thinking, clinical work, and welfare of your clients. I take that responsibility very seriously and believe you do too. We agree to have open communication about your professional development and to engage in measures that support your practice in its entirety in accordance to the mandates laid out by Washington state law. In order to have the thorough understanding required by Washington's supervision standards, I require complete access to all aspects of your business. I believe overseeing these aspects assists emerging professionals to build sustainable practices in addition to strong clinical skills.
consultation
Consultation is great if you're venturing into territory you are unfamiliar with or are otherwise expanding your own aspirational breadth. This is a marker of a truly enlightened professional! I too pay for consultation when I am stumped, in need of a fresh perspective, or require professional support as I try something new out. In this way, we meet as two colleagues, committed to the advancement of the field by holding ourselves accountable to the dissemination of professional knowledge.
The why behind our pricing
For clinical supervision
In Washington State, clinical supervisors bear legal and ethical responsibility for the clients treated by the associates they supervise. Because associates cannot practice independently, the supervisor plays an integral part in the associate's practice. I meant it when I said our working relationship is that of a partnership, intertwined with your day-to-day operations. Paying for supervision is inevitable for any associate pursuing full licensure but when a supervisor comes with the job, the cost is factored into the your wage. I assume in pursuing private practice, personal agency and financial freedom were important considerations for you. The rate honors our shared investment to your professional development, while respecting that your balance point is different than that of another associate. In knowing this upfront, you can set your pricing accordingly, one of the many benefits of being in private practice.
I strive to set you up to ethically practice independently upon receiving your full license. The felt impact may be more significant, but I genuinely hope you look back and feel good about this investment, seeing it as far more effective to your longevity in the field than simple 1:1 supervision typical of workplaces with "baked-in" supervision models.
For consultation
As opposed to supervision, consultation begins and ends with a real-time conversation. As such, the price is set by the hour. The rate is simple: It's the amount you charge for a 53-minute individual therapy session. Just like the associates I supervise, I believe you have priced your services with your own bottom line in mind and feel good about asking what you've determined is reasonable for an hour of your time. If you're in a community mental health setting, the rate is your hourly wage. In setting it this way, I hope to make consulting more accessible to folks invested in their development despite having less capital to invest in it.