The Clinical Supervision Crisis for Early Career Therapists: An Interview with Dr. Amy Parks

Jul 4, 2022

The Clinical Supervision Crisis for Early Career Therapists: An Interview with Dr. Amy Parks

Curt and Katie interview Dr. Amy Parks about the lack of resources for pre- and provisionally licensed mental health professionals to find a clinical supervisor. We discuss the current state of clinical supervision, the barriers for folks becoming clinical supervisors, what makes a good supervisor, navigating online supervision, and what licensed folks might consider when seeking consultation.

Transcripts for this episode will be available at mtsgpodcast.com!

An Interview with Dr. Amy Parks, Founder of the Clinical Supervision Directory

Dr. Amy Fortney Parks brings with her over 30 years of experience working with children, adolescents and families as both an educator and psychologist. She is a passionate “BRAIN -ENTHUSIAST” and strives to help everyone she works with understand the brain science of communication, activation and relationships.

Dr. Parks has a Doctorate in Educational Psychology with a specialty in developmental neuroscience. She is a Child & Adolescent Psychologist as well as the founder and Clinical Director of WISE Mind Solutions LLC and The Wise Family Counseling, Assessment & Education in Virginia. She is also the founder of the Clinical Supervision Directory – a connection super-highway for supervision-seekers working towards licensure in counseling and social work across the US.

Dr. Parks serves as a Clinical Supervisor for Virginia LPC Residents, as well as Dominion Psychiatric Hospital. Additionally, she is an adjunct professor at George Washington University & The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Dr. Parks is a frequently sought-after parent coach and speaker for families and groups around the world.

In this podcast episode, we talk about clinical supervision for modern therapists

We look at the gap in clinical supervision for prelicensed or provisionally licensed mental health professionals.

What is the state of clinical supervision for mental health professionals?

“Arbitrary reasons or barriers to entry are one of the main reasons why we're not getting more clinical counselors on the ground to serve the public. Because when somebody graduates from graduate school… hundreds of thousands of clinicians are graduating, and hundreds of thousands of them will not get connected to supervisors, until they figure out where to find their lists.” – Dr. Amy Parks

No consistent resources for newly graduated clinicians to find supervisors
Different state to state or area to area
Lack of supervisors and a lack of a mechanism to connect supervisors and supervisees

What are the barriers to folks becoming clinical supervisors?

Different standards in different states
Sometimes becoming a supervisor is too overwhelming, complicated, or too much responsibility
The need for advanced training in supervision

What makes a good supervisor?

“Everyone should have supervision as part of their employment. It should be excellent. It should be professional, and it should be a benefit, period, end of discussion. But I can guarantee you 100% that that is not the majority of the country. And that's not the way it's done in every career field either.” – Dr. Amy Parks

Training
Diverse experience
Understanding the boundaries between supervision and counseling
Supervisor, consultant, teacher roles
Cultural humility, bias – looking at clients and supervisees

Navigating Online Supervision

Video supervision (rather than phone)
Have supervisees record (video) their sessions for feedback
Research shows that telesupervision is as effective as in person
Laws related to in-person versus virtual supervision

Supervision or Consultation After Licensure

The value of getting consultation after you’re licensed
The importance of a beginner’s mind
The challenges of finding good consultation
Finding the right match when seeking supervision or consultation

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Resources for Modern Therapists mentioned in this Podcast Episode:

We’ve pulled together resources mentioned in this episode and put together some handy-dandy links. Please note that some of the links below may be affiliate links, so if you purchase after clicking below, we may get a little bit of cash in our pockets. We thank you in advance!
Clinical Supervision Directory

Clinical Supervision Directory Sign up to be a Supervisor coupon code for $50 off the first year: FRIEND50

NBCC accredited supervisor program

Instagram @ClinicalSupervisionDirectory

Facebook @ClinicalSupervisionDirectory

LinkedIn - Clinical Supervision Directory

Amy’s practice: The Wise Family

Relevant Episodes of MTSG Podcast:

Giving and Getting Good Supervision

Getting the Supervision You Want

Bilingual Supervision: An Interview with Adriana Rodriguez, LMFT

Waiving Goodbye to Telehealth Progress: An Interview with Dr. Ben Caldwell

Who we are:

Curt Widhalm, LMFT

Curt Widhalm is in private practice in the Los Angeles area. He is the cofounder of the Therapy Reimagined conference, an Adjunct Professor at Pepperdine University and CSUN, a former Subject Matter Expert for the California Board of Behavioral Sciences, former CFO of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, and a loving husband and father. He is 1/2 great person, 1/2 provocateur, and 1/2 geek, in that order. He dabbles in the dark art of making "dad jokes" and usually has a half-empty cup of coffee somewhere nearby. Learn more at: www.curtwidhalm.com

Katie Vernoy, LMFT

Katie Vernoy is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, coach, and consultant supporting leaders, visionaries, executives, and helping professionals to create sustainable careers. Katie, with Curt, has developed workshops and a conference, Therapy Reimagined, to support therapists navigating through the modern challenges of this profession. Katie is also a former President of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. In her spare time, Katie is secretly siphoning off Curt's youthful energy, so that she can take over the world. Learn more at: www.katievernoy.com

A Quick Note:

Our opinions are our own. We are only speaking for ourselves – except when we speak for each other, or over each other. We’re working on it.

Our guests are also only speaking for themselves and have their own opinions. We aren’t trying to take their voice, and no one speaks for us either. Mostly because they don’t want to, but hey.