Grads: Is Your Supervision Actually Working?

Clinical Supervision Red Flags Are More Than a Personality Difference

I hear from associates who sit in supervision week after week thinking, Something feels off, but I don't know if I'm allowed to say that. That is exactly why Ashley Stephens Durbin and I wanted to have this conversation. When you are new to the profession, you may not know what good supervision is supposed to look like.

Ashley described one of the clearest clinical supervision red flags as having “no structure to be found.” She was not talking about the difference between a Type A supervisee and a supervisor with a more relaxed style. She was talking about supervision where there is no real plan, important cases never get addressed, paperwork is disorganized, and the relationship starts to feel like, “Call me if you need me.”

I see this in group supervision too. Sometimes one person monopolizes the hour. Sometimes everyone talks about something interesting in the news or the latest Grey's Anatomy discussion instead of doing case consultation. There is room for human conversation in supervision, but over time you should be able to demonstrate what you are learning, what cases you are following, and how you are developing as a clinician.

Evaluation Should Guide Growth, Not Surprise You

One of the biggest warning signs I see is a supervisee who has never seen a formal evaluation instrument. That concerns me because evaluation should not suddenly appear when somebody makes a mistake. If the first time you learn there is a problem is when you receive a remediation plan, something has gone wrong with the process.

Ashley shared an experience from early in her career when she received a 360-degree evaluation with difficult feedback. The problem was not simply that the feedback was hard to hear. The problem was that nobody used the evaluation as a developmental tool afterward. There was no plan, no new goal, and no structured conversation about how she could improve.

That is what good evaluation is supposed to do. It should clarify where you are, what needs to develop, and what observable improvement will look like. Supervisors who want a stronger process can also review how to approach supervisee remediation and evaluation intentionally.

Documentation Is a Shared Responsibility

Supervisors have an obligation to stay organized, but supervisees have responsibilities too. If your supervisor is disorganized, I still want you organized. Keep your logs current. Keep copies of signed documents. Bring notes to supervision and document the issues you are addressing.

Ashley made another important point for associates working with external supervisors. Your supervisor may not work where you work. They cannot automatically see how many clients you are treating, what interventions you tried, or what happened after last week's consultation. Close that loop for them. Bring the case back and say, “I tried this intervention. Here is what happened. Here is what I am thinking about next.”

That kind of documentation helps turn supervision into an ongoing clinical process instead of a series of disconnected case presentations. If you want a stronger framework for the paperwork side of the relationship, review how a clinical supervision checklist supports a more organized process.

Ask Whether You Would Call This Person in a Crisis

Here is one of the questions I want every associate to ask: If I made a serious clinical error tomorrow, would I trust my supervisor enough to call them?

You are going to make mistakes. New clinicians make mistakes. Experienced clinicians make mistakes too. The purpose of supervision is not to create professionals who pretend they never get anything wrong. You need someone who can help you think through a difficult situation, review the applicable rules, protect the client, and determine what happens next.

Ashley also pointed out that this requires a real human relationship. A supervisor should be able to demonstrate curiosity, experience, and humility. They should not present themselves as someone who has never made a mistake, and a supervisee should never carry the burden of educating the supervision group about an entire culture simply because of how they look or something written in their bio. Supervision should be a place where difficult conversations can happen without making the supervisee responsible for the supervisor's professional development.

You Can Interview, Change, or Supplement Your Supervisor

I want associates to shop for a supervisor the way they would shop for any other important professional service. Ask where they completed their supervisor training. Ask what that training required. Ask how they structure sessions, conduct evaluations, document supervision, and respond to emergencies.

And yes, sometimes you may need to change supervisors. I said it pretty clearly in the episode: if the supervisor is deficient and you have other options, you can fire them. Ashley offered an important reframe. A difficult breakup with a supervisor may be better than allowing an inadequate supervisory relationship to shape your clinical lens for years.

If changing supervisors is not possible, add support. Find a mentor. Join a consultation group. Connect with clinicians who can help you continue developing while you meet your state's supervision requirements. Additional consultation does not replace required supervision, but it can keep a weak mentoring relationship from becoming your only source of professional guidance.

Good Supervision Should Leave You Growing

I know the difficult-conversation piece personally. My first supervisor spent a lot of our supervision time telling us about his marvelous trips. Eventually I had to make the call and address a supervisory relationship that was not working. At that point in my adult life, it was one of the hardest professional conversations I had ever initiated.

It also became a milestone. I remember realizing, Wow. I am sticking up for myself. That experience showed me the power of professional self-advocacy, and it is something I want associates to understand before they spend years assuming they have no options.

Good supervision has structure. You are evaluated. Records are organized. Cases are discussed and followed. Most importantly, you should know that if something goes wrong, you have somebody whose judgment you trust enough to call. If you are seeing clinical supervision red flags, do not ignore them simply because this is your first supervision experience. Ask questions, document carefully, get additional support, or make a change.

Where This Blog Connects

• How To Navigate Supervisor Problems: A Guide for New Graduates
• Red Flags of Toxic Supervision: Do You See Them?
• How To Evaluate a Supervisee (Without Winging It)

Want to learn more? Check out this month’s free resource from Kate Walker Training.

If this made you rethink how you structure supervision, evaluate supervisees, document progress, or respond when things go wrong clinically, join us inside the Step It Up Membership. We go deeper into the systems, ethics, and documentation practices that help supervisors build supervision relationships that are organized, defensible, and supportive.

Blog post by Kate Walker, Ph.D., LPC-S, LMFT-S
Creator of Texas’s first fully online 40-Hour LPC/LMFT Supervisor Training Course.
Kate is the founder of Kate Walker Training, where she helps counselors, supervisors, and practice owners build sustainable, ethical, and profitable businesses.
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