When thinking about services you want to offer in your business, it’s not unusual to explore offering both consultation and supervision as part of your mental health leadership. In fact, it’s a common question I get when supporting fellow supervisors and leaders who are building their brands as professionals. So let’s take a look at the opportunities and differences between consultation and supervision as you consider offering these valuable services in your work with others.
Clinical Supervision can be defined as a licensed mental health professional supervising an unlicensed or candidate mental health professional in their therapeutic work as they pursue licensure. Some things to note:
· Supervision must be scheduled regularly per your licensing board
· Supervision requires contract of expectations for both supervisor and supervisee
· Supervision comes with liability for the licensed professional taking on an unlicensed professional until they achieve their own licensure
Professional Consultation can be defined as a written and/or verbal agreement to provide insight, suggestions, and resources to a colleague who is paying for your expertise. Some things to note:
· Consultation can be scheduled as a one-and-done or as needed basis
· Instead of a contract, there is a written agreement about the parameters of consultation including fees, duration, and specialities the consultant can speak to.
· Consultation, as a professional service, has reduced liability similar to paying for a product. The consumer—in this case a colleague—agrees to a fee for your knowledge and expertise to support their goals.
So how can this look different when a fellow mental health professional outreaches you?
Consultation requests may sound like:
· Can I pick your brain about building a group private practice?
· Can I schedule consultation with you on a client’s OCD presentation and next steps?
· Can we find a time to talk about suicide prevention resources in Colorado?
· I’d like to staff a case with a recent DV incident, how do I schedule with you?
Supervision requests may sound like:
· I’m seeking a supervisor who specializes in EMDR and Play Therapy
· I’m looking for a supervisor who can support my clinical work outside of my agency that offers admin supervision only
· I’m searching for a LAC supervisor to sign off on my hours
· I’ve recently graduated and am seeking a supervisor as a I start private practice
Although an evaluation of appropriateness of supervision vs. consultation is encouraged at every outreach, knowing the context of what you can offer is a valuable first step when receiving an inquiry from your community. I hope this brief exploration of the differences in what you offer under each umbrella can help you in setting up your services with confidence!