5 Ways To Broaden Your Training Experience (Even If You’re In A Single-Focus Internship)

Thrilled with your current position as an intern at a domestic violence shelter, a hospital ER, or a faith-based counseling center, but wishing you had the chance to explore more of the variety that is out there in the counseling field?

Here’s your guide to getting the most out of the time you have in training – no matter what your internship focus is!

1. Multitask. Whatever you’re doing for hours now, think

about how you can get the most possible experience for your time there. Can you spin your work with preschool play therapy into some parent coaching sessions? Can you develop and use different sets of skills with the same group of clients, like trying cognitive-behavioral & EMDR-based methods on your trauma clients?

2. Observe. Other interns in different specialties. Your supervisor. Any other counselor that will allow you to watch them in practice. 

3. Read. Case studies, journal research articles, autobiographies, memoirs, counselor-authored practice books. Here’s some possibilities to get you started:

Journeys To Professional Excellence: Lessons From Leading Counselor Educators And Practitioners 
Ariadne's Thread: Case Studies in the Therapeutic Relationship 
On Being A Therapist 
Inside the Session: What Really Happens in Psychotherapy 

4. Volunteer. Any kind of social services agency will work!

5. Man (or Woman) a Hotline. Sexual assault recovery, crisis pregnancy, suicide prevention, LGBT, domestic violence – there is a hotline for almost any specialty you might want to explore further. While you would likely be a volunteer in this position, it’s still worth your time to pursue if it’s of significant interest to you. 

Right now, you may be feeling stuck, or out of options. But you have more flexibility than you realize. This is literally the only time in your life when you are new to the field of counseling, AND you have the assistance of a trained supervisor to help you with any and all of your counseling-related questions.

And that’s the key that’s going to make the suggestions above work for you. Any of these suggestions on their own might do you some good. But if you consciously filter these new experiences that you’re having through that lens of new counselor experience you will have insights you’ve never gained before and some you’ll never have again. If you take notes back from these experiences to discuss with your supervisor, or practice with a fellow intern, you’ll find your intern experience to be both diverse and more rewarding than you ever thought it could be! 

How do you suggest finding diversity in a more narrow internship experience? Comment and share below!

If you could whisper directly in my ear...

What would you say?

It's the time of year again when it's good to evaluate and re-focus as we go into the next school year.

I know you have a lot on your mind as you start another class, finish summer courses, or perhaps even enter your very first practicum.

You're probably excited, and maybe also a little worried. There's a lot that is required of a Beginning Counselor:

• Finding a practicum site, or a site for a clinical internship.
• Passing the NCE or NCMHCE.
• Getting the proper training and credentials. (Should I do a dual LMFT/LPC? What about the certification in Critical Incident Stress Management?) 
• Finding a good supervisor, or coping with an unhelpful or abusive supervisor.
• Serving clients well when you're terrified that somehow you'll screw them up. 
• Having proper boundaries with clients in this busy information age. (Should they be allowed to email me? Text me?)

I WANT TO HELP YOU with all these things and more. I don't want you to EVER feel like you're alone. That's why we have the Beginning Counselor community. 

But in order to help you, I have to know what's most on your mind, and I've created a simple way for you to tell me.

Just click in the box above and answer the three questions in a way that reflects YOUR Beginning Counselor needs. That will tell me what's most important to focus on for you guys in blog posts and other free support in the weeks ahead. 

Click here to view survey as a separate web page. 

You don't have to do it alone. Just click on the link above or fill in the embedded survey form to share with me what's been on your mind. I review each answer, and they're completely anonymous, so I can simply respond to the community needs as a whole without anyone worried about being singled out. 

The best thing I could hope for as a result of your reading this today is that you take 3 minutes, fill out the questions above, and allow me to respond to you with the solutions you've been longing for. 

You have too many people out there that need your help to waste your energy stressing out about this stuff alone when I'm here to help.

With hugs & encouragement,

Stephanie 

P.S. I promise, it's really easy. 3 questions. A few dozen words. And you could be on the way to finding the answers you've been seeking. Share your needs with me now!

[Guest Post] Beware of Warm Body Supervision

If your supervisor has this much energy,
run away. Quickly.

Receiving quality clinical supervision is so important for new therapists

In fact, it is a requirement for independent practice for every mental health license I can think of in the US.

That tells you just how important it is: it is a best-practice standard.

So what happens if you end up with a warm body supervisor?

A warm body supervisor—what’s that?

It’s just like it sounds: your supervisor is just a warm body who signs off on your hours.

It’s really sad, actually. Most supervisors don’t start off as warm bodies. They usually started off excited about their profession and prospects.

But somewhere along the way, things broke down. The causes of warm body supervision are various.

• Your supervisor might be overworked and not have time for you. 
• They may be burned out. 
• Maybe they’ve just lost their motivation or interest in supervision—or clinical work. 
• Perhaps they had a warm body supervisor themselves and don’t know how to raise the bar.

Regardless of the cause, having a warm body supervisor can really damage your professional development.

Read on to learn about 5 red flags to watch out for…

Five red flags

So how do you know if you have a warm body supervisor?

Here are a few clues:

1.) They don’t remember details.

Not everyone has an incredible memory. That’s ok.

But if your supervisor can’t remember even the basics about your caseload from week to week– and doesn’t bother to take notes to help themselves remember– you’ve got a problem.

2.) They make you do all the work.

Part of developing clinical skills means taking initiative. Your supervisor may take a back seat for certain tasks to help build your autonomy. This is normal.

But if your supervisor’s response to most every question you have is, “Hmm, I’m not sure. Why don’t you look into that and let me know what you find?” — you’ve got a problem.

3.) They’re gone.

Whether it’s for an emergency consultation or your scheduled supervision hour, warm body supervisors are often unavailable.

You have to fight to get your weekly hour of supervision. 

“Just catch up with me if you have questions,” they may say.

Or your supervisor may be absent in other ways: answering the phone frequently during your hour, falling asleep, or doing other work while also “listening” to you.

If your supervisor has to interrupt your supervision to attend to something else, it should be the exception, not the rule. You deserve someone’s undivided attention during your supervision hour.

4.) They don’t give you feedback.

You have to fight to get a performance evaluation.

All their comments about your work are vaguely positive platitudes.

“Nice job!” they say. “You’re doing great!”

But when pressed for details about specifics on your work, they can’t come up with any.

This is because they really don’t know anything about your work.

They’ve never looked at any of your documentation.

They’ve never reviewed any audio or video tape of your sessions.

They have no idea who is on your caseload (see #1).

5.) They are unethical.

An inherent part of any supervisor’s job to take interest in your work, to pay attention to what you are doing. Warm body supervisors are neglectful of their supervisees. This represents a lack of professional integrity.

You may stumble across other problems of ethics with these supervisors. They may tell you it is okay to fudge your hours or notes. Or they may be chummy with you because they want to be liked. Or they may ask you to keep secrets. Or they act like your requests for supervision are burdensome.

We must hold boundaries as therapists so clients have safe space to do their work. Supervisors have a similar obligation to their supervisees.

What you deserve

You deserve better than this.

I should be really clear here.

These are merely my own opinions about a supervisor’s obligation to a supervisee.

Each licensing board does offer some guidance about supervision. But it’s certainly not this specific.

Not everyone will share these standards.

The warm body problem is pervasive.

I find that this is more likely to happen if you are receiving supervision for free or via an agency, where a staff member is not receiving any additional compensation for overseeing your work.

But even if you pay privately, you may end up with a warm body supervisor.

The simple fact is that many beginning therapists do not know what to expect from supervision. They defer to their supervisor. So I wrote this article to inform you about your options.

I want you to feel empowered, to seek out supervision that meets your needs.

Be cautious

Before you write off your supervisor as one of the warm body kinds, make sure you’ve thought it all through.

Have you been clear about your expectations?

Have you offered feedback about what you need and if so, how did your supervisor respond?

If you are considering changing supervisors, it is important to try and discuss things with your current supervisor.

I would hope that your supervisor checks in periodically for feedback from you. But you may need to take initiative on these conversations.

If your supervisor is acting towards you in a way that is unethical—being threatening or abusive, for example—you may choose not to take the issue up with them directly but seek other help via human resources, or private consultation with another therapist or trusted colleague.

Consider: is this a matter of having different styles or values?

Some people prefer supervisors who are more directive. Think to yourself: could I imagine other people feeling okay working with this supervisor? If the answer is yes, you may be encountering a stylistic difference.

Final thoughts

The best antidote against warm body supervision?

Interview more than one supervisor.

Have an honest, open discussion up front about your expectations—before you enter into contract with a supervisor.

If your agency furnishes a supervisor and you aren’t happy with the quality, seek additional mentorship elsewhere.

You deserve quality supervision! So don’t give up until you’re satisfied.

Ann Stonebraker is a counselor in Austin, Texas who helps folks quit people-pleasing. She writes weekly for her own practice blog at Labyrinth Healing, as well as at her latest project, counselinginterns.com, a resource site for counseling students, interns, & therapists in private practice. This blog post was originally published here. 

Top 5 Ways NOT To Find a Quality Supervisory Relationship

We recently discussed "7 Ways To Start The Search For The Perfect Clinical Supervisor." (Looking now? Email me about supervisors accepting applications in Richardson & Arlington, TX.) 

But finding names to call is only the start. After that, you have to contact them, follow up, hopefully gain an interview and then secure the job. These goals will be seriously compromised if you give this process anything less than your best. 

That's why we're taking today to talk about what not to do if you're hoping to find that awesome, positive, and professional successful partnership with a quality supervisor. 

I bring these up because unfortunately, I've seen people making these mistakes a time or two, and even done some of them myself. Some of the items on this list represent actual errors that cost a student counselor their opportunity to work with the supervisor they applied to. 

I don't want that to be you. So for each "do not" on the list, I've included a special simple solution - a quick and easy fix that anyone can use to overcome an accidental blunder like this.

Here's your list of what NOT to do if you want to find a quality supervisory relationship. 

1. First, do not wait too long to contact a potential supervisor after you locate a likely prospect. Windows of opportunity open and close very quickly in this arena. An intern may be accepted in a matter of weeks and then the position's no longer available. Good news for that intern, not so great for you if you thought you had more time. Simple Solution: If you see someone who is advertising for an opening now, jump on it! 
2. Second, do not NOT do your research. If a supervisor is stating they're only seeking play therapy trainees on their website and you don't do play therapy, you will only annoy them. And that reputation can get around. Simple Solution: Google, LinkedIn, Psychology Today and the supervisor's website. You can do a quick survey of all of those in 20 minutes or less and it will usually tell you all you need to know.
3. Three, do not send a mass cover letter. People can always tell it's generic. Like those auto-LinkedIn or Twitter messages that go out when you connect or follow someone. I can tell in the first few words whether it's a real person writing to me or an auto response. Simple Solution: Create a few stock paragraphs that you can reuse, such as what kind of therapy you do and what makes you different. But tailor the opening and closing to the particular recipient. 
4. Four, do not have spelling mistakes in your mass-covr leter. (That you shouldn't be sending anyway.) Sprvisors will notice this and it makes you look badlee. Simple Solution: Have 2-3 people read a letter and/or resume before you send it out.
5. Five, do not make the mistake of thinking you have nothing to offer if you don't have counseling experience already. Potential supervisors can't see your value if you don't first know your value for yourself. Simple Solution: Make a list of transferrable skills and similar experiences you have, and practice talking about them. 

What do you think about these 5 do nots? If you are a supervisor, is there anything you'd add to this to help other student counselors have better success in securing the right supervisory relationship?

Who are you? Q & A

Marketing yourself. We've been discussing how it build confidence, why you want to do it, and how to put it into practice. But some questions can't be addressed on a general basis. That's why I asked you to share with me your biggest questions on marketing as a newbie counselor. 

Q: Do you have any suggestions on how to present or market oneself as an intern counselor to a potential supervisor? Specifically, in a cover letter/resume format and in the case of someone waiting on their license to come through. 

• My first suggestion with any kind of marketing is "don't start with you." The cover letter or resume that states your objective, in my opinion, misses the mark. Even the kindest person sifting through a bunch of resumes doesn't care about your needs at that exact moment - they are looking to fill their sometimes desperate need. Start instead with a question or a statement about their needs and then tie your skills and desires into it. 
• If you have something that is lacking, approach it a different way. In this person's scenario, you might say: "Although I won't take my NCE until _____, I am actively seeking a supervisor and further client experience starting immediately." There are some legal restrictions you will have to overcome to work with clients after graduation, but before an official start to your internship. If these exist in your state, you might propose a compromise that is legal, for some people, volunteering hours and/or getting temporary liability insurance that covers you under another umbrella.
• Follow up. Most people don't. Snail mail is very inconvenient to respond to. The person receiving the message may mean to respond, but put it in their "to-do" pile indefinitely. You can follow up with a simple phrase like, "I wanted to see if you received my cover letter and resume." [If yes] "Do you think that my skills might be a good match for your needs?"
• Research them. If you can say why you like their organization, it will go a lot farther for you. Make sure your counseling theories match, and that the job isn't "too good to be true." Sadly, an internship that promises major $$$ may be a scam because that kind of money just isn't there at the intern level. 

Q: Why don't you take Medicaid...(or another specific insurance panel they want covered)? 

My answer to this question when I first started was stupid. "Because I have to be licensed such-and-such amount of time to get on this panel...because there are too many people on-panel in this area..." I would end up redirecting the clients to other providers rather than offering them a solution that would work for them.

When a client says, "Why don't you take..." they aren't really asking why. They're communicating that they have some level of interest in your services and are frustrated that you don't offer their insurance panel. But they're still talking to you, which means they're not convinced they want to go with someone else. So here's what you can do instead. 

Affirm that you support whatever they choose to do next, but you have options for people who have insurance you don't take. That might be sliding scale, out-of-network benefits, group therapy, coming less often, etc. Ask them to try it out and see if they like it. If it doesn't suit them, they don't have to keep coming, but it might be the right fit for them. Remind them that there are privacy compromises and limitations on service with insurance providers, and as an out-of-network provider they have more choices with you. 

If they don't want to go off-panel, they won't. They'll call around till they find another provider. But if they want to talk to you enough to ask you "why?"...then they're still invested in the option of working with you. Trust in the VALUE you have to offer and give them another option to consider. 

Q: How do you make sure people are getting what you're sharing with them...and not just nodding their heads?

Ah...I see.

But do they really? Sometimes it's hard to know if you're really getting through to people. But anyone can learn to read the signals of comprehension in order to better communicate their message.

With a referral source, client or coworker, you know you're likely communicating effectively when you see a few positive body language signals, like the ones below:

• Repeating back to you a version of what you've been saying.
• Focused gaze on you or off to the side, as if they're thinking. 
• Taking notes.
• Getting closer or leaning into your space. 
• Mirroring movements. 
• Feet crossed at the ankles while sitting. 

Some signals that might indicate distrust, disinterest, or impatience are:

• Looking away at other things, shifting eyes.
• Shifting feet, tapping feet.
• Crossed arms.
• Hands on hips.
• Looking down. (Though in some people this can be thoughtfulness.)
• Squinting eyes with lowered eyebrows. 

Of course, you want to have more of the former than the latter. So if you are experiencing some negative signals from another person, you might be able to turn it around with one of these tricks:

• Asking about comprehension. "You know, I'm feeling like I might be being confusing. Am I making sense?"
• Asking for their opinion. "What do you think about what I've been saying?"
• Keeping it short. Leaving out extra topics and going over what has already been discussed once again.
• Trying an analogy or metaphor. "I like to think about it as a ship in a storm..."
• Trying a visual aid. Prepare one or two that you can keep on you or bring to meetings! 

As you try some of these strategies, watch for the other person to suddenly snap back into the present. That will tell you what to continue speaking about, and what to abandon.

That's enough questions for today, but I'm always here! If you could have any question about counseling answered, what would it be? Did the answers today help you resolve anything you were struggling with?

7 Ways To Start The Search For The Perfect Clinical Supervisor

After graduation, there's one thing standing between you and your dream career - your clinical internship. This internship is made up of two essential ingredients: several thousand hours, and a clinical supervisor. This is a person you will spend 2-5 years with, who will sign off on your license application, and shape your perspective on counseling as a profession. Kind of a big deal. 

Ironically enough, such a big decision often is made for you, as many supervisors "come with" an internship site. Your supervisor is so important to you, it seems crazy that most people get them as a package deal like fries and a Coke. Not that it doesn't make sense - internship sites are hard to come by, and it seems excessive to pay outside fees for a supervisor if you already have one set up. 

But I've found that some people aren't happy with the clinical supervisors they get with their site - sometimes they find out later that the supervisor doesn't have the experience in what they want to learn about, or even in some cases, that the supervisor is unethical. So they have to find a new one.

Some sites, especially nonprofits, don't come with a supervisor at all. They just don't have the means to keep one on staff. 

Any of these situations mean that an intern would have to do their own legwork in finding an independent clinical supervisor. As I discovered when recently asked to help refer an intern to a clinical supervisor, that is not as easy a task as one might think.

To be successful in finding the perfect clinical supervisor, you need several things. 

You need to do your homework and find out what a supervisor wants from you.

You need to know what YOU want in a supervisor and prioritize. 

You need to know how you are going to pay the fees an outside supervisor requires and what you get for those fees. 

But before all that, you need to know where to start. 

That's what I'm here to help you with today. We're going to talk about seven ways you can get started in your search for the perfect clinical supervisor.

1. Your University. My school, like many others, keeps a roster of local LPC-S supervisors that have worked with their students before. Usually this includes both outside and site-based supervisors. School bulletin boards in your department might also include advertisements for private clinical supervisors. 
2. State Rosters. My completely unscientific sampling of several state licensing board showed that each provides a listing of supervisors in their state. There is no further descriptive data on individual supervisors, but it's a place to start. (Examples: Washington, New York) Tip: If your roster is not searchable, download the excel file and sort by city, selecting the column and then "sort." 
3. Networking. Just as one of you interns asked me, ask another counselor or fellow intern if they know someone who does clinical supervision. Right now, I don't have a huge referral list, but I have a few names I'm happy to share. Someday, I might even be able to refer you to myself! I've been considering getting my supervisor credentials lately...
4. Supervisor Listing Websites. SupervisorDirectory.com allows supervisors to list their availability for a low rate, so you're likely to get supervisors of different fee rates if that's important to you. Supervision Today is free for you to search and easy to navigate, for LPCs, LCSWs, and LMFTs.
5. LinkedIn. Linked in is a surprisingly good and often overlooked resource for finding supervisors, though it won't be as effective if you don't already have some counselor connections. Just type in LPC-S, LMFT-S, etc. into your search box and you'll start coming up with people you are already connected with and people who are connected to potential supervisors.
6. Psychology Today. This is lower on the list because it's more time-intensive to search. But it's still possible to pull up local listings and scan the credentials of each counselor listed. Some, not all, will list their supervisor credentials here! This is a neat option because you get more information about potential supervisors before you call them. 
7. Search Engines. This is certainly something that's easy to try, but it's last on the list because it is hard to find the right search term. You're just as likely to get a listing of LPC-S jobs as you are to find LPC-S-es that you can call. But it's worth a shot.

So there you have it. Seven ways to start the search for the perfect clinical supervisor. Try them out and let me know which was most successful for you! But before you do so, will you do one more quick favor for me? 

I've really liked getting to know all of you better, and I think the real strength of Beginning Counselor is in our community. So, in the interest of knowing each other more as well as giving me insight into the kind of referrals you need from me, will you share your experience with me?

If you'll do this quick thing for me, you'll help me jump start a new project I'm working on for all of you. For now, let's just call it the Community Snapshot project...but it can't happen without your help.

Click if I've succeeded in my guilt trip and you'll fill out this quick 4-question form. 

I know I have some licensed counselors reading my posts, but this one's just for the students & interns. So you're off the hook.

How did you find your supervisor? What did you learn was important in the search? Share in the comments below!