83 Navigating Counseling Problems and Solutions as a Supervisor

Brace yourself for an expedition into the heart of clinical supervision with me, Dr. Kate Walker, as your guide through the rugged terrain of managing challenging supervisees. This episode promises to outfit you with the strategies and tools you need to navigate the unpredictable journey of guiding mental health professionals towards becoming ethical, independent practitioners. Imagine equipping yourself for all weather scenarios on a hike, just as we must prepare for the unforeseen twists in supervision. Together, we'll delve into the developmental model of supervision that provides a map for anticipating the stages our supervisees will traverse, ensuring we're always one step ahead.

Venture further as we unpack the essentials of supervision planning, a topic that could make or break your practice's future. Drawing wisdom from "The Clinical Supervision Survival Guide," I'll spotlight the significance of being proactive in creating support systems to sidestep potential pitfalls and maintain a high standard of mental health services. Plus, don't miss out on the expert advice for those embarking on clinical supervisor certification training—this episode is here to ensure you're not just surviving but thriving as you shepherd the next generation of therapists through the complexities of their professional development. Join us on this trailblazing episode, and become the supervisor who's always ready for what lies ahead.

Get your step by step guide to private practice. Because you are too important to lose to not knowing the rules, going broke, burning out, and giving up. #counselorsdontquit.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Worst case scenario, you've got a supervisee who is not working out right. This is stuff that's unexpected, but at least I started off with my plan. So if I'm out of water, I have contact with someone who can meet me with water. If I'm on the mountain and there's a lightning storm, I have a plan and a paper map so that I can get off the mountain. So what does that mean with supervision?

Speaker 1: 0:32

This is the Texas Counselors Creating Badass Businesses podcast with Dr Kate Walker, where I teach you, texans and non-Texans alike, the latest research-based information to hit your income goals, stay out of trouble and make a bigger impact in your community. Join me and let's fill the gaps in access to mental health care and create a counseling career you'll love. Let's get to work. Welcome to Texas Counselors Creating Badass Businesses, where it's all about working smarter, not harder. And here's your host, dr Kate Walker, who loves her curls but could do without the constant upkeep. Welcome to episode 83. This is my favorite kind of podcast episode. This is a how-to episode. You're going to leave today with some tools to navigate situations when things go south, when things go sideways, because it's okay, there are ways to mitigate and protect your license, protect your supervisees protect the clients that depend on us so much, and I would love it if you would come to my free training. It's happening this month in May. Super easy to get your free ticket Just go to katewalkertrainingcom. Forward slash bea. Supervisor. Now let's get to work. I'm Dr Kate Walker. Welcome to our Tuesday training. On a Wednesday at two, it's usually Tuesday at noon, so if you're catching me and you're like, why is Kate on right now, well, that's because I am in Fredericksburg, texas. It's a beautiful day, it's just wonderful.

Speaker 1: 2:24

The kick retreat is something that I collaborate with the amazing Cindy Doyle, and we bring women together to help them work on their business. The topic, though the topic, that's what's important. I'm talking about how to dress for the weather, working with difficult supervisees. Now, what I want you to get from this brief training is twofold. Number one I want you to have an understanding of difficult I just made air quotes if you're listening to this on a replay and, of course, I want you to have tools to manage situations that have happened and prevent or mitigate situations before they arise. So if you have heard me teach before, if you have taken my online 40-hour training to become a supervisor, then you're aware that I teach the developmental model. You're aware that I teach the OER framework. You're aware that I teach things like supervising by time or supervising by distance.

Speaker 1: 3:29

My new book that's coming out and it's so cool because I actually held it in my hands. It's the last chance I get to prove it is the Clinical Supervision Survival Guide. It uses hiking as a metaphor. Thus the title of the training today Dressing for the Weather. So in hiking there's no such thing as bad weather. I was hiking today. I hiked Enchanted Rock.

Speaker 1: 3:53

It was gorgeous but it started out cold. So, if you know me, I had like three pair of leggings ready to go. I had five shirts ready to go, I had a new hat. I had all of these things because I don't like being cold ever. So I had dressed for cold, knowing that as we climbed through the day that I would be taking things off and I would get down to my trusty t-shirt and shorts. So dressing for the weather means I know things will change. I know, kind of when they'll change. If I have a weather app, I may know exactly what time things will change. Having that information allows me to plan accordingly what I'll wear, how much water I need, how much food I need, what I need to tell my companion so that they experience a good trip as well. So we're not looking at this like well dang, it's cold or ooh, it sure is warming up and it's hot and I'm sweaty. I mean, we may complain because that's just sometimes fun to do on a hike, but in all reality the reason we love hiking is because we're prepared. We know for the most part what's coming up and we're able to plan so much because we have that knowledge.

Speaker 1: 5:15

So in supervision we have the developmental model and that means, in effect, we have a good idea of what happens with a level one supervisee. We understand that they have a base level of knowledge but very little experience and what that means regarding their disposition, their clinical skills, their people skills, their ability to be supervised, receive criticism, get enough out of the process, all of those things we know. At level one it's a particular way, because at level two it will change. At level two, this is when our supervisees realize oh, you know what? This is a real job and it can be hard and I do have a lot to learn and I don't know if I'm up for this. But they're also showing autonomy. So they're pushing back a little bit on what we're telling them to do, and that pushback is incredibly normal and it's needed in order for them to progress to level three and become our colleague. Right, we need them to achieve a level of autonomy that they can analyze the information and create their own style of counseling that is ethical and informed and theory bound, and all of those things, so that the clients are protected and the services are delivered in an effective way.

Speaker 1: 6:39

So, developmental model hey, yeah, think of it like I know what it's going to feel like in the morning, I know what it's going to feel like at 10 o'clock and I know what it's going to feel like when I'm walking off the mountain at two. I have an idea of what to wear, what to bring, how to dress my water, my food, and I know what to tell my companions who are with me so that they can make informed decisions as well. So dressing for the weather, when it comes to supervision, starts with an understanding of the developmental model. Now, another thing that can inform dressing for the weather is to have a plan right. Even though I've been to Enchanted Rock, you know, 50 times, I always grab a paper map, I can get directionally challenged on the trail. My phone is usually either out of juice or no Wi-Fi to be found, as I've kind of shared with you, and so having a paper map allows me to now figure out what to do if I get turned around, if I find myself going up the wrong trail, if I'm coming down on the wrong side of Enchanted Rock which you don't want to do because there's some drop-offs. So, having tools to mitigate anything that might come up well, that's what having a supervision plan is all about.

Speaker 1: 8:02

Now, in Texas, the 40-hour training courses are supposed to teach you how to create a contract. In fact, do not take a course unless one of the things they sell you is hey, gang, you're going to have a working contract at the end of this training. Well, what I teach my students, guess what? Nobody reads the contract. They want your signature. They're like oh yeah, sounds great, I'm in Signature. Please, please, sign. Are you signing? Okay, good.

Speaker 1: 8:31

So the plan is the beginning of the OER triad, this framework to help you successfully navigate supervision through those developmental stages. Right, your OER framework starts with your orientation. Well, the plan informs your orientation. Right, if I'm going to sit and I'm going to take 10 people on a hiking adventure and we're leaving on Wednesday. You can darn well bet, tuesday evening I'm going to sit them all down and say, okay, here's what's going on, here's what we can expect, here's what the weather's supposed to be, here's what you should probably wear. Well, where did I come up with all that information? Hello, my plan. Right, I start with a plan that I can pick up and hold in my hand and I can add to and I can change, and I use that plan to disseminate information to my traveling partners. Right, and so for supervisors, this plan is even more important than the contract, because this is what gives the contract its teeth and meat and whatever metaphor we're going to use here.

Speaker 1: 9:43

Right, if you say in your contract we will meet weekly and sign paperwork, well, you better have a plan to schedule. That means schedule, supervision Schedule, in case there are missed supervision Schedule, to make sure that your supervisee isn't getting all group, which in Texas is against the rule. You cannot have all group supervision, you must have half at least in individual supervision. And, by the way, triadic is individual supervision, that's with supervisees two or less. That equals individual, but I digress. So you have to have this contract right.

Speaker 1: 10:26

Well, the plan is going to fill in all the details. So, yes, we're going to meet four hours a month and I'm going to explain my scheduling system to you and I'm going to explain the procedure if you have to miss and I'm going to explain the procedure for how to make it up. I'm going to explain the procedure if you no-show or let it cancel, and what impact that will have on your payment to me, if you're paying me, or on your job, if supervising you is a part of our job. So I have consequences in place. Well, I have that in the contract. You're like, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah signed.

Speaker 1: 11:04

But if it's in the plan and it informs my orientation, and we sit and we grab lunch and we spend two or three hours digging into this plan which is, by the way, not set in stone because, let's say, I have a plan for using Dropbox for our notes and we're going to use Dropbox and we're going to scan notes in. You're going to leave every supervision session with a copy of your note. I've got an electronic copy, everything's wonderful. And then, oh wait, dropbox doesn't work anymore. Dropbox is fine. I'm using an example here.

Speaker 1: 11:40

We decide to switch to Google Workspaces, okay, well, let's set a time where you and I can sit down and we don't have to go through the whole three-hour plan again. But we're going to set an almost plan again. But we're going to set an almost an administrative meeting where we're going to say, hey, you know what, the weather's changed a little bit. Our software isn't doing what we needed to do. Here's how we're going to make changes. Here's how you and I are going to communicate about that. New procedure, new policy here, signature, great, now we're both on the same page again.

Speaker 1: 12:12

So dressing for the weather means not just understanding the developmental model and the things that could happen that are normative and normal and necessary, but it's also having that plan for how you're going to organize your paperwork, how you're going to implement all of your lofty ideas in your contract, how you're going to provide consequences if things fall through. I mean, worst case scenario, you've got a supervisee who is not working out right On the trail. I have run into some bears not very often and they're always little black bears and they're off way in the distance but I've run into lightning storms. I've run into situations where I didn't pack enough water. So that's beyond the weather, what my weather app said would happen. This is stuff that's unexpected, but at least I started off with my plan. So if I'm out of water, I have contact with someone who can meet me with water. If I'm on the mountain and there's a lightning storm, I have a plan and a paper map so that I can get off the mountain.

Speaker 1: 13:24

So what does that mean with supervision? Well, that's when we start talking about regular evaluations and formal remediation plans, which are the other two pillars of our OER framework. And so taking a 40-hour training, it's just not enough to leave the course with a working contract although brilliant, yay, get that. Any course that's going to say that it's preparing you to supervise must help you understand, beyond the developmental model, beyond the contract, understanding that it starts with a plan for when things go right. Right, here we are, we're scheduling, we're sharing paperwork, we're storing paperwork, we're communicating, we're doing all the things.

Speaker 1: 14:12

And when things don't go as planned and it doesn't have to be something terrible like a supervisee who's not acting right, right, I know, that's kind of the title of this presentation was okay what to do with the supervisee who has a problem? Well, hey, supervisor, what if you have a problem, right? What if something comes up with your health or something comes up where you have to step away from your practice or, god forbid, you have to close your practice? Your plan will have everything in place that you would ever need to make sure your poor supervisee isn't left high and dry, right? They come out of graduate school expecting to trust the next authority figure that they're faced with. Right? If we tell them, hey, you need 3,000 hours supervision, they're expecting all supervisors to kind of be the same right, to know the rules, to be able to put things in place that protect them. So if you don't have a plan how to run your business, if you don't have a plan on how to take their payment, if you don't have a plan of how to, let's say, if they're employed by you, if you're misclassifying them according to the IRS, right? That's not in their best interest. So this plan isn't just for them, right? And when things go wrong for them, this is for you as well, right? Honest mistakes. I'm not talking nefarious intentions. I'm talking about if you find out. Oh crap, I didn't know, I was supposed to supervise them for 24 months. I thought it was 18 months, shoot right Now you have to go back and talk to your supervisee, revamp your plan, revamp maybe your pay schedule with them.

Speaker 1: 15:59

So dressing for the weather isn't just for a troublesome supervisee situation. This is for life, happening to you as well. Supervisor, you're not perfect. You're not expected to be right. We just appreciate the fact that you're in this, you're not giving up and you're helping us fill the gaps in access to affordable mental health care in Texas and beyond. Right, every time we lose a supervisor because they were scared of the liability or they were faced with a situation that they didn't have support for. We don't just lose a supervisor. That is like losing five supervisees, which, if you multiply five supervisees by 20 people on a caseload, right, we're talking 100 families that are impacted if you choose not to supervise because you didn't dress for the weather.

Speaker 1: 16:54

So that's why I was really excited to write my book, the Clinical Supervision Survival Guide. It really is aimed to keep you in business supervisor and I don't just mean supervision, business making money. You can go check out my business plan episode. You can go check out how to start your supervision business in another episode. I'm talking about just keeping you from getting discouraged because the weather got bad right, something happened that was very level two-ish, but maybe your 40-hour training didn't emphasize. Or you thought you had this great paperwork system, but your supervisor training didn't really teach you what to do if that didn't work out, or they didn't tell you how to make sure that you're keeping up with rules. They didn't give you an organization system. They didn't give you what to do when things don't go right. Right, and that's what I do. That's why I love what I do. Right, and that's what I do. That's why I love what I do. I'm literally here at this retreat finding new and better ways to make sure new supervisors get the support that they need.

Speaker 1: 18:07

I don't want you to leave the business. I don't want you to sit and say, oh my gosh, I finished this 40-hour course. The liability is too high. Hell, no, I'm not going to supervise. Liability is too high. Hell, no, I'm not going to supervise.

Speaker 1: 18:13

Or to have one bad situation, problem supervisee life event and your plan kind of fell apart. Y'all that happens. It happens on the trail, it happens in life. That's what support is for. We're not supposed to do this alone. So dressing for the weather is for you, supervisor. Dressing for the weather is to protect your supervisee. It's to make sure we keep putting more excellent therapists out into the world, because we need them.

Speaker 1: 18:45

So ask me questions, tag me in the groups, all the things right. I hope that this gave you what you needed. If not, just give me feedback and I will fill in those gaps. So ask me questions and I will answer them. So this is Dr Kate Walker, thank you. Thank you so much for listening to me on a replay, participating live. If you're on Facebook right now, I will go in and I will check those comments and I will see you guys in about a week and I will see you guys in about a week.

Speaker 1: 19:17

Hey, before you go, if you have any interest in becoming a clinical supervisor, do me a favor. Don't take a course until you know it has what you need to protect your license from supervisee mistakes. There's so much you've got to know before you take the course and I have a great mini training for you. I mean it's short. You can grab this and listen to it in about 20 minutes. It's called the Three Secrets to Successful Supervisor Certification and you can grab the replay of that today. No problem, just go to katewalkertrainingcom forward. Slash bea supervisor. That's katewalkertrainingcom. Forward slash be a supervisor. It'll give you what you need to know. I'm Dr Kate Walker. Thank you so much for listening to Texas counselors creating badass businesses. Thank you to Ridgely Walker for her lovely voiceovers at our introduction and do me a favor when you get a second please like, share and subscribe and write us a review how we get picked up by other RSS feeds and we get this information out to the mental health badasses who need it. Thanks again and keep saving the world with excellent therapy. You.