So, you're an LCSW in Texas and wondering how to become a LCSW supervisor in Texas? Maybe you're hustling in private practice and wondering how to avoid the burnout monster. Maybe you're running a group practice and thinking, “What if supervision could be part of the package I offer new hires?” Or maybe you’re just tired of trading hour after hour for therapy income and looking for a smarter way to make an impact and a living. Whatever your reason—burnout prevention, career expansion, income diversification—becoming an LCSW Supervisor in Texas might just be the best professional move you’ve never seriously considered… until now.
Meet Dr. Ashley Stephens Durbin: A Real-World Supervision Success Story
Want a true story to highlight this? I got one for ya!
Dr. Ashley Durbin, Ph.D., LCSW-S, knew that direct one-on-one therapy was a good living. She believes it’s sacred and an honorable duty to help people on their hardest days. BUT, it wasn’t everything. She yearned for a way to use her skills in social work without just gaining more and more clients – she knew that led to burnout.
So, when she began to look for other ways to make money, give back, AND diversify her finances and brain space, she tried it all.
Teaching in a Master’s program – yup.
Offering consulting services to other clinicians – did it.
Sell clothes online – uh huh, that too.
From Therapist to Supervisor: Diversifying Your Career and Income
Then, she found and took an LCSW Supervision Course. This changed everything. The course had 16 hours of work prior to going to the virtual classroom. Another 24 hours was on a live, camera-on, Zoom call, 8 hours a day, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. She successfully completed this, submitted her materials to BHEC (the mental health board for social workers and other mental health clinicians in Texas). She received her supervisor designation and is now a board-approved supervisor.
How to Become a Board-Approved LCSW Supervisor in Texas
THEN!
She created an entire business out of offering supervision to LMSWs in Texas. She replaced, then overcame, her therapy business income per week. She offered groups where she made double, triple, then quadruple what she made per hour in therapy. AND, maybe best of all, her brain, body, and mental health got a bit happier.
She was able to create a schedule with days full of supervision, intermingling therapy in between. Supervision allows her to use her brain in a much different, but related way to actively providing the skills. It allows her to give back to her community in macro and even mezzo ways, creating amazing clinicians who then serve many, many clients all over Texas. It allows her to fulfill the SW Code of Ethics principle of helping future generations of social workers grow.
Step-by-Step Guide to Earning Your LCSW-S Credential
So, how do you follow in her footsteps? Here’s how:
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Be an independently licensed clinical social worker for 2 years in the state of Texas.
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Complete the 40 Hour LCSW Supervision Course (in 90 days or under!).
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Take your certification of completion, go to BHEC, download the “How to Apply Online to Become an Approved Social Work Supervisor” and follow the instructions including paying the fee.
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In the same timeline as other licenses, Texas will grant you your license!
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Conquer the world! Just kidding… sort of.
Expanding Supervision Practice Across State Lines
Now, you’ve got your LCSW-S, how do we use that to expand our reach beyond Texas? Let’s go back to our tale of Dr. Durbin.
What Other States Say About Texas Supervision Training
Once the 40-hour supervision certificate was received, the supervisor designation was awarded from the board, and the business was created, she went on to research the requirements of supervision in the other states she was licensed in.
Texas has the highest requirements of the 12 states she has been licensed in so far, with 40 hours. Other states have 30, 20, 6, none…
In each of her states, she contacted the board and said something to the tune of:
“Hi there, I received a certificate of completion for a 40-hour supervision course in Texas. May I use that to fulfill the requirements of the supervision designation in XXX state?”
In every single one of them, the answer was a resounding YES!
Why Now Is the Best Time to Become a Supervisor
And—this is maybe the most important part—she is nothing special. I know, because she is me and I am her. She is a clinician who has a master's degree and an independent clinical license. That’s it to get going – TRULY.
Every single day you wait is a day further from decreasing burnout, giving your brain and body a break from the heavy toll therapy requires, and from diversifying your income.
Final Thoughts: Creating a Supervision Career That Works for You
Join us on the journey to becoming a LCSW supervisor today. You won’t regret it!
While this guide focuses on Texas board rules, the Kate Walker framework is used by clinicians across the country. You can find our state-approved social work supervisor training for Washington, Ohio, Virginia, and beyond in our national hub.
Blog post by Ashley Stephens Durbin Ph.D., LCSW-S