Finding a Supervisor

Dear New Therapist,

I remember the world feeling both chaotic and calm, stressful and really stressful when I was a new therapist. I wanted everything to happen quickly because I was in one of the most frustrating and infuriating times of my career, supervision.

It’s a hoop to jump through, there’s no other way to call it. It’s a hoop, a big, long, hoop that many people don’t take seriously, both new therapists and oftentimes supervisors. I wasn’t as thankful for it during the process as I wish I had been, but I didn’t have a bad experience like many of my colleagues.

I graduated from a university in Southern Kentucky, and I knew I would be moving to Austin after I graduated because my husband had just gotten accepted into the University of Texas at Austin for their Ph.D. program. So, in January 2015 I started doing research into how I would get licensed in Texas because I was only trained on the process for Kentucky. After rubbing my head for far too long, I did some research and found who would eventually be my supervisor, contacted her in February, and paid for a consultation so she could walk me through the process of getting licensed in Texas.

March 2014

We built a good rapport and she mentioned possibly becoming my supervisor, but that I needed to check back in because I didn’t graduate until June and didn’t move to Texas until August. Does that tell you more about my personality?

Well, as the months passed and the clock ticked more and more to my big cross-country move I did more and more research on potential supervisors, trying to find someone that I could connect with. I knew I wanted to work with the LGBTQIA+ community so I tried to find someone who shared an identity, or at the very least, was knowledgeable.

There were some, yet none stuck out to me via their website. Mostly it was just a sea of the same type of website, usually an earth tone like green, blue, or brown and sometimes a pop of color like yellow and a lot of trees, roots, and flowers. All giving the same generic message of “growth” and “roots.”

Let me be clear, there isn’t anything wrong with any of this, it just didn’t connect with me and the type of person I am or the professional I wanted to be.

In the end, I decided to select the supervisor I felt I could have the best relationship with over having a shared specialty and even though I loved my supervisor, there were certainly pros and cons to my choice.

I didn’t have a supervisor that specialized in working with the LGBTQIA+ community, or one that even had much knowledge about the community, but I had a supervisor who was so invested in learning and me growing as a therapist that I never felt unseen. Yeah, sometimes I felt alone and unsupported but then she would empower me to build a community of therapists who I could connect with. So, I did, and it was amazing.

First photo of me in my first office after becoming fully licensed

4 Tips for Finding a Supervisor

I wish I could give you definitive advice on how to find the “perfect” supervisor, but I can’t, because I don’t think “perfect” is possible. You’re in a time in your career with both rapid growth, but also growth that will take ages to grow after you plant the seed.

In my opinion, the most important aspect of finding a supervisor is connection and feeling like they’ll give you both space and guidance but most important support in cultivating the professional you’re becoming.

With that being said, here are 4 simple tips for finding a supervisor.

• Do the research

  • There’s a plethora of supervisors, especially in the Austin area. Take your time to research some around you and make a list of your top choices.

• The Rule of 2

  • Once you have a list, no matter how short or long it is, add 2 to it. It’s also good to have backups.

  • Then go through the list, from top to bottom, and write two things by each supervisor that stood out to you. What was it about them that stood out to you? Why did you put them in the order that you did? What makes number one on your list, number one?

• Prep to BE Interviewed, Prep TO interview

  • The process is a two-way street. You are interviewing the potential supervisor just as much as they are interviewing you. Be prepared with questions you want to ask them, use the list you made from The Rule of 2 to help guide you.

• Take the Process Seriously

  • It’s cliché to say, “Take it seriously,” I know. As I’m typing this I feel like the crypt keeper, but I do believe in it. The process is a hoop, there’s no way around it, so why not do it to the best of your ability? I’ve seen way too many people try to rush through their hours and just select a supervisor to get started, and it ends poorly.

  • You deserve to have a great experience, even if it’s not one of your own choosing.

I wish I could say that you’ll love and enjoy the entire process of supervision, but you won’t, and that’s okay and is to be expected. However, I do promise that if you take your time in finding a supervisor, it can make all the difference.

Quick side note and reminder that you can change supervisors at any time during your supervision process. You do have the right and the ability to switch supervisors. Just make sure you follow the process and protocol around it.

You are going to be a great therapist and change the lives of many around you. I for one can’t wait.

Thank you my reading my lovelies.

Ryan Dillon, LPC-S (they/them)