I have been working in the field of behavioral health for the past 17 years...
As a seasoned therapist now, I still find it amazing to be doing the work I do in mental health and addictions. I literally started by, 'the seat of my pants' and 'learning on the fly' many years ago. I attribute all that I have learned about this field and about those that I work with to the wonderful supervisors I have had over the years. I know how daunting and yet exhilarating it can be to work in this field and would love to help you find your own path in providing therapy as well as increasing your knowledge and understanding of populations you may work with in the future. I have been working in the field of behavioral health for 16 years in both Illinois and Colorado and I have developed strong clinical abilities in both mental health and substance use disorders. Of those many years, eight were as a Clinical Supervisor where I directed, supervised, and evaluated work activities of clinical staff that provided both mental health and substance use disorder treatment services. Since moving to Colorado, I have spent two years in supervising LPCC's and CAC candidates. I am passionate and committed to first-rate client care and in supervising others to do the same. I am trained and/or certified in the following areas: Trained as an EMDR therapist. Proficient in providing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapist Solution Focused Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Processing Therapy, and in the use of Motivational Interviewing and the Stage of Change models. Trained in Matrix and Driving with Care curriculums. Certified in Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT) and Strategies for Self-Improvement and Change (SSIC). I am also a Colorado Department of Corrections Approved Treatment Provider (ATP).
The purpose of clinical supervision is to monitor and ensure the welfare of clients, promote the development of supervisees' clinical and professional identity, evaluate the competence of supervisees and fulfill requirements for licensure. It is my belief that as a supervisor I must meet the developmental needs of the supervisee. I often alternate between roles based on the needs of the supervisee. In the beginning, I may take a more direct feedback approach, and as the supervisee gains more experience, my role may change into a more collaborative approach.
In my supervision, I require that students are directly observed by myself while providing counseling services to clients (known as "tele-supervision"). This is to occur one time every three months on a date agreed upon between the supervisor and the supervisee. Tele-supervision is to occur a total of eight times during the span of the two-year supervision experience. The supervisee is required to obtain written permission from their client prior to the tele-supervision taking place and have the signed document uploaded into the client's file.
During the course of completing 100 supervision hours there are two formats that can be implemented (upon availability):
