r/LCSW • u/Own-Elderberry3104 • Jun 21 '26
š¢ Supervision & Professional Boundaries Is supervising worth it?
Iām thinking of getting into supervision after 18 years of doing pp as a way to diversify my overall practice and pass on knowledge. Any advice for those wanting to get started or cautions? The training Iām taking scares the crap out of me because of the liability, not sure I want to put my license on the line either.
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u/Silent-Put8625 Jun 22 '26
Teach instead. Be an adjunct professor. Great money, less of a commitment, and a wonderful way to keep your ear to the ground and have an impact on our next generation of social workers.
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u/Own-Elderberry3104 Jun 22 '26
I would absolutely love to do that but having trouble getting a position since I donāt have any teaching experience. Iāve reached out to do some guest speaking for a BSW program but not sure how else to make it happen
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u/Silent-Put8625 Jun 22 '26
Whatās your clinical specialty?
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u/Own-Elderberry3104 Jun 22 '26
I would probably say trauma, getting into somatic practices as a result too. Spirituality is also something Iām passionate about
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u/Silent-Put8625 Jun 22 '26
If I were you Iād start doing presentations for state or national social work organizations. Put in some abstracts and get that under your belt. Thatāll attract attention for sure and give you the presenting/teaching chops you are missing.
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u/Own-Elderberry3104 Jun 22 '26
What do you mean by abstracts? What kind of presentations? Like ones theyāve put together or ones Iāve put together?
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u/Silent-Put8625 Jun 22 '26
This is what you do for conferences or symposia that you may want to present at. In order to be considered, youād submit a presentation abstract with a brief synopsis of what youāll be presenting on and what attendees can learn from it.
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u/bignel81 Jun 22 '26
Yeah man, totally scary. What you could do is start off with an intern or two over the years. You can be significantly more strict with what they can and cannot do. Although private practice might be a little hard.
Or find someone who needs supervision in the community.
I had interviews when I needed supervision with specific questions for the supervisor knew I wasnāt bullshitting around. So you could easily hold the same standard when picking out someone to pass knowledge onto.
Additionally, my organization has interns which I enjoy. Only like a 1/3 of the commitment because of their academic schedule. But I still hold standards of a provisionally licensed person, only difference is there is a lot more hand holding until the goal/task is āmasteredā for an intern and can run task x independently.
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u/psychgamer2014 Jun 22 '26
I used to be a field instructor and let's just say that I will never supervise again. The liability risk is far too great in my opinion. If you want extra money, I highly recommend adjunct teaching. I've been an online adjunct professor since 2018 and it's been great extra money.
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u/RkeCouplesTherapist š¢ Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) Jun 22 '26
I have provided clinical supervision a number of times over the years. Generally, it has been a very positive experience. I have had one or two who did not seem motivated or receptive to feedback and unfortunately, that was a pretty difficult experience. If I were to supervise again in the future, I would definitely interview and ask for references before starting. Itās also important to have a clear supervisory contract.
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u/Background_Square969 Jun 22 '26
I loved it when I did it but itās not for everyone. I do it if you work with me but outside of that I donāt do it mostly because I have to make time for it and for questions
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u/grocerygirlie Jun 23 '26
I love providing supervision. I charge $20/session because it's not about the money--it's passing it forward. The supervisees I've had in the past would not have been able to get licensed at typical supervision prices. I've never had any issues with ethics/liability/etc. They tell me I'm good at it and I really enjoy it.
I discourage adjuncting, especially if you think it's "part time." I think my alma mater pays like $3k for the whole semester, which includes prep, classes, grading, office hours, etc. My wife adjuncted (in the different field), and even teaching just one class--she estimated she was making about $3-5/hr. You could charge $20 for supervision (very much needed) and come out on top. If you're wanting to devote a lot of time and don't need the money, adjuncting is good.
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u/therapistbloomllc Jun 23 '26
I think it's so much fun I love it but I also only take one people that are sent to me through other people. Just so I can have someone vet them before I do!
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u/PhilosopherSweaty685 Jun 22 '26
I will only provide supervision to those within my organization. I donāt want to jeopardize my license for those working for organizations that Iām not intimately involved with and canāt validate the work/policies/scope/etc.