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When you’re working towards licensure to become a licensed professional counselor, choosing an LPC supervisor can be one of the most important decisions on your journey. Your clinical supervisor could be part of your professional life for 18 months to two years or longer, and their advice and guidance can help shape your career as a therapist and give you a head start when you’re preparing for licensure.
When you’re looking for an LPC supervisor to help you become a licensed therapist, experience is undoubtedly one of the most important factors. Look for a therapist who has at least a few years of post-graduate professional experience, ideally 5 or more will make the difference in your time as a clinical associate under supervision. Even more, look for a therapist who has worked in a variety of different settings, including group practices, private practice, schools and community mental health clinics. Having a wide range of experiences can help your LPC supervisor better understand the types of challenges you’re facing and provide relevant, helpful supervision and suggestions for you. I have experience in all of these settings. After serving time in these various settings, I decided to spend the rest of my career in the private practice milieu.
To help you get the most out of your supervision sessions, if you know the types of clients that you’re most likely to see, make sure your LPC supervisor has experience with similar clients. For example, if you think you’ll work with a lot of teen clients, you’ll want to make sure that a significant percentage of your supervisor’s clients are teens, or that they’ve at least worked with many teens before. If you work in community mental health or a school setting, you’ll want your supervisor to have that experience to understand how different your work is compared to a one-on-one private practice setting. Also, think about the types of issues your clients frequently have, including anxiety, family struggles, parenting, couple relationship struggles, trauma, depression, and more. When your LPC supervisor has experience with the types of clients you see, your time together can be even more valuable to your growth as an LPC.
I am looking for LPC associates who are motivated, ethical, introspective, eager to learn, love to have fun, and enjoy a sense of humor. The associates I work with should be prepared to make mistakes and learn from them. This is how we grow both personally and professionally. As your supervisor, I will help you debrief your mistakes, learn from them, and develop a plan to prevent them from happening again in the future. While I am a private practice therapist, I do not need an associate who wants the same career path. I am supportive of whatever career path you choose as a therapist. I want you to be invested in your supervision as a place to learn and to grow as a therapist because I will be invested in you. I see my role as someone who will be your advocate and support system and as the one who is cheering you on from the sidelines and there for you when things didn’t go quite right. In short, I am committed to you through the entire journey.
I am accessible and approachable. People describe me as gentle, kind, fun loving and direct (as needed). I am an 8 on the Enneagram and my wing numbers are 2 and 5. That means I love to help others, I research a lot, and I can be a leader and gently challenge others for growth as needed. Practically speaking, I will be available between sessions for consultation, for emergencies, and other unexpected circumstances, as they arise. I am open to feedback and see our relationship as collaborative. I strive to help you gain trust in yourself and your skills. I enjoy bringing expressive activities to our supervision time and I also plan to introduce you to how I use various theoretical modalities with my clients. While most of us as beginning therapists focus on one modality at a time, my experience as a therapist has brought me many years of continuing education and certifications that I have added to my toolkit as a therapist. If you peruse my website you will be able to see some of the places where I have sought additional training that I can pass onto you. My role as supervisor is part teacher, part consultant and part counselor. I will be available for you to help you meet the requirements of the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council for full licensure, provide ethical support and guidelines of the TBHEC and guide you through cases and issues that come up at your work site. Additionally, I will help encourage you in your own personal self care, offer you mentorship if you are interested in private practice work, and provide resources for your continued growth in counseling. I consult regularly with my own colleagues and I am an active member in a supervision consultation group so that I can continue to grow and learn as a supervisor. Lastly, I seek my own therapy as part of my my own development in this work.
I see my associates for individual (up to 2 people) and group supervision if the group is more than two people. I offer online supervision and can offer supervision to any LPC associate in Texas. I am also available for “walk and talk” outdoor individual supervision or individual in-person as requested in an agreed upon meeting place . Either way, we will make it work as stress free as possible. Being an online supervisor allows me to offer flexible times to meet with you as I know scheduling can be a challenge.
Well, if you like how this all sounds and if you think we should meet, please send me an email at gwen.k.kinney@gmail.com and let me know what you are looking for. The more specifics, the better. Let’s meet and talk and see if we are a good fit for each other.
Email: gwenkinney@counselingmail.com (preferred for new clients seeking to schedule first appointment)
Phone: (844) 429-7371 (voicemail)