
Supervision Smörgåsbord
By Dr. Tara Sanderson, PsyD, MBA

Supervision SmörgåsbordMay 30, 2023

Episode 113: Business interview with Kasey Compton
Overview of episode
Things to do before branching into Supervision as a part of your practice.
Importance of Structure/PoliciesRates and PricingTakeaways for today!
What can you apply today right after the episode.
Take some time to go through your processes as if you are going through them for the first time. This can help you think through bumps, bottlenecks and holes in your process.
Pro-tip - Once you address any problems, tape your process with something like Loom (for things that don't have any PHI) so that interns can watch these and know what to expect!
Take a look at your calendar and block off time for your supervisees. Don't know how much to block off - do a time study this week of how much time is spent on supervision duties each week. Anytime you read a note, an email, have a conversation - track that time on a note pad, in an app or write it down on your hand! Then take a look at how many hours it takes.
Pro-Tip: Write down that time on your Job description. (You have a job description for your job right? If not, email me for a systems conversation today!
Set your system up Schedule time

Episode 112: Dr. Sanderson and Intern Manuals
Episode 112
What needs to be in my intern manual? In this episode, Dr. Tara Sanderson addresses creating an intern manual for your practice. The Intern Manual Checklist is available to download below. The template for the manual is available in my course.
Links to Tara's Training Course
Intern Manual Checklist
Overview of episode
Creating a Manual from a template
Be Specific to your company
Be clear in your expectations
Give them all the info they need to do their job.
Takeaways for today!
What can you apply today right after the episode. Think about adding an HR component to your team.
Once you have more than just you in your practice, you will need to think about the legal responsibilities of being a business owner with employees, volunteers or other human bodies doing work for your company.
You can find Independent HR professionals through programs that are connected to the SBA or independent HR professionals. Here are a few links for you:
SCORE
Tom Engel (Vantage Point HR)
https://www.hranswers.org/
Evaluate what you want them to get out of your internship site
Take a few minutes today and write down a list of things you want your interns to walk out of your internship knowing.
After you have made a list - take a moment and see if you can put them in an order that makes sense to how folks navigate your site and see if you can put together a timeline for what you need to help them develop the skills.

Episode 111: Shannon Heers Supervisor relationship and Firelight supervision
Episode 111
Shannon Heers, LPC, LMHC, CAS, ACSIn this episode, Shannon Heers, LPC, LMHC, CAS, ACS shares about being a supervisor, setting expectations and her new project Firelight Supervision.
Links to Firelight Supervision Website
Links to Firelight Supervision's Social Media
Overview of episode
Helping supervisees be prepared for session.
What to do when the supervisor hits a plateau?
Burnout for Clinicians
What can you apply today right after the episode.
Create a framework for supervision at the beginning of the supervision relationship.Think today about what you really need to know about the clients or the supervisee in the session.
Here are some things you might want to think about including:
Name of client
Age of client
Demographics/Culture of Client
Diagnosis
Goals
Transference/Counter-Transference
Other questions you might think about adding to your repertoire:
1. Asking them "What is your question about this client?"
2. What is coming up for you when you think about your time with that client?
Take stock today of your supervision journey.
1. List all your supervisors,
2. What were their credentials?
3. What is your memory of those experiences?
4. What are the things you want bring to your work as a supervisor?
5. What are the things you don't want to bring into your work as a supervisor?
6. What are the gap areas of what you need to know?
7. Would it be beneficial to get some supervision of your supervision to make sure you are doing it right?
Interested in getting some supervision for your self? Check out Firelight Supervision's individual and group supervision programs.

Episode 110: Supervisor Interview with Khara Croswaite-Brindle discussing the Empowerment Model and High Risk Situations
In this episode, Khara Croswaite-Brindle shares her Supervision Model - The Empowerment Model of Supervision and it's application to High Risk Situations. Overview of episode
What is the Empowerment Model?
When does Empowerment Model seem like the right thing for a supervisee?
What can you apply today right after the episode.
Challenge the inequality
It is vital that we look at our power dynamics in the systems we have set up for supervision. As you think about the systems you use in your supervision practice today, what are the ones you are performing as a top down experience, what are the ones you are coming to the table as a collaborator, and where are you learning from your supervisee?
Think about your systems
Today set a timer for 5 minutes to map out your system of bringing on a supervisee through them leaving your practice. What are the first things that come to mind? What are the most important aspects? Then look at the list later today or tomorrow - what did you leave out? Use this tool to help you identify the places that there may be holes in your training or ways you could serve your supervisees better.

Episode 109: Jason WIlkinson, Marriage and Family Therapist Associate, Multiple Supervisors
What can you apply today right after the episode.
Set an AgendaIf you haven't already discussed an agenda with your supervisees - this is your hint to do it! Set an agenda that will give you and them opportunity to make sure to cover all the legal and ethical bases but make sure you are attending to all the other beneficial ones as well. Ask your supervisee to come prepared to your supervision sessions with questions they need answered as well as cases to discuss.
Here's a couple of options of how:
1. You could create a google form for them to fill out before session of the questions they have or the clients they want to discuss.
2. You could use the messaging software in your EHR and have them message you things through that!
Take some time this week to look through your supervisee caseload and their goals and see which things they could benefit from another supervisor. Could be theoretical orientation or notes or type of clients they serve.
Make a list and use your connections to see who you can partner with.
Links to Jason's website: Wellspace PDX
Links to Jason's Social media: @wellspacepdx

Episode 108: Dr. Sanderson and Supervisory Billing
What can you apply today right after the episode.
Identify your reason.Supervisory billing can give clients access to services that they may not have in your community, it can be a profit maker, it can be a teaching model... Take 10 minutes today to determine why you think you want this in your practice. It is awesome and hard all at the same time.
Most every course I teach asks you to start with the why and build from there. This addition to your business is no different. Make sure you understand your why so you can determine if this is a good fit, and how you want to make it meet your why.
You will now have 4 new tasks to keep on track. You will need time to do them.
1. Getting permission and understanding the rules.
2. Educating your team and training them to the rules.
3. Monitoring the rules in case they change.
4. Tracking all the moving parts as if they were your own clients... because they are.
Today - Take a few minutes and think about all the moving parts when you sign an insurance contract, serve clients and go through billing. Maybe write them out step by step and layer in the time that it takes you to do all that, then double it and add in supervision time.
Starting from moment one that you are able to do this type of billing you need to have a tracking system in place that helps keep you in the know, your team up to par and the insurance companies happy. What that looks like for me is an awesome assistant, a great biller and some savvy spreadsheets.
Make a clear list of your goals (from your Why statement above) and your tasks (from the make time in your schedule section) and start to put together a roadmap for how you are going to track and monitor all these notes, clients and billings. This is an important step to support those clients and supervisees.
Lastly, schedule time in your calendar today for monthly reviews of your systems, your contracts and the state and federal rules to make sure you are still doing everything above board!

Episode 107: Amy Smitke, LPC Launching a supervision practice
What can you apply today right after the episode.
Plan your CEU'sTake a look at your board requirements and think about what you need both as a clinician and as a supervisor. Look for trainings by experts who would really challenge you to grow.
Here are some links to some great CEU opportunities as a supervisor:
TelementalHealth Supervision Series (Free quarterly trainings, most others cost about 25-50 per CEU)
Person Centered Tech Supervision and Ethics Series (by moi!)
Make connections with others! Here are 4 things you can do today:
1. Join Clinical oriented Facebook Groups (local and national) and see what questions you can answer.
Here's a link to a national Clinical supervisor group!
2. Get connected with local clinical associations.
3. Ask a colleague for a zoom coffee date or to actual coffee if that is safe for you! Get to know them, what they are looking for in referrals and see if you can be a resource to them.
4. Get to know your licensing board. Think about the questions you are asking on facebook (or that someone else is) and ask the board for clarification so you are in the know and get the answers straight from their mouth!
Take a few moments and jot down some things you wish you had known or had taken the time to talk about in your supervision. Make it a priority today to have that list handy next time a supervisee says "Everything is going well, I am not sure what to talk about!"
Links to Amy's Website: Motivated Wellness Solutions
Links to Amy's Social media: @amysmitke

Episode 106: Vanessa Brookhouse, LPC Ethics and Documentation
Overview of episode
Ethical Responsibility Imposter Syndrome Self-Care DocumentationWhat can you apply today right after the episode.
Add taping of sessions into your practice.If it is possible to tape your supervisees doing their therapy - it can be extremely beneficial. Here is a cool option for programs like DBT that need fidelity for the model:
Dreamaker.io
Take time today to read through one document that your clients or your supervisees see and see if it still works for you. If you can add this practice in once a week or month you can make sure your paperwork is reflecting what you want it to.
Check out Dr. Maelisa McCaffrey from qaprep.com who helps folks with documentation!
Look over your supervisees caseload for how they are diagnosing and challenge your supervisees to review the DSM diagnosis for their clients to make sure we are all on the same page.
Links to the DBT Clinic where Vanessa works!

Episode 105: Dr. Tara Sanderson discusses Intern Free Time
What can you apply today right after the episode.
Make a clear list.Take 10 minutes today and make a list of things you think you would like done in your practice and see what shakes out for you. Then compare it to the ethical requirements and school or board requirements. Once you have your list together move to the next tip!
You are welcome to start with my list as a starter! I broke my list up into 6 categories to help them think through what would be beneficial to them in this moment.
In your orientation and training (and in your supervisory contract) make sure it is really clear the amount of hours you are expecting them to be doing tasks for your practice, and what tasks those are. Nobody likes the line "Other duties as assigned". We want to know what we should be doing!
It is helpful to let supervisees know if they need to tell you that someone no-showed or late-cancelled and get assigned a thing to do - or if they can pick from the list and move on. Also good to know if you are always expecting them to do other things or if they can take time off and away from work.
Link to Dr. Sanderson course:
https://www.drtarasanderson.co/howtohaveinternsinyourpractice

Episode 104: Chris Campassi Psychoanalytic Supervision
Takeaways for today! Look at getting your own supervision!
In order to be proactive in your own self-care - Why not add a consultant to your own practice! Adding a supervisor or consultant that helps you navigate your own cases, your supervision of other folks and give you some support as we go through this intense world of being a therapist and supervisor!
One neat thing of adding a consultant when it is not required is that there may not be any state line issues!
Check out: Firelight Supervision (Individual and Group Supervision)
What is my stuff in the room?
Is this feeling I am feeling, how the client feels?
Is this how others in the clients world experience them?
Think about your developmental model of each of your supervisees - are they in Process Oriented Supervision mode or Skill Acquisition Mode?
Taking time to review with your supervisees to figure out where each supervisee is at throughout your time working with them.
Check out my developmental model of supervision flow chart here.
Links for Firelight Firelight Supervision: Firelight Supervision
Links to Social Media: @firelightsupervision

Episode 103: Dr. Sanderson and Google Workspace
What can you apply today right after the episode.
Double check before you use!Google puts out new stuff all the time and some of it is so cool! But, it is not all approved for the type of work we do! When a new thing comes out I always check it out with Person Centered Tech. In their membership package they offer a weekly Office Hours where they answer questions and walk through practice technology issues or new things that are out there!
Person Centered Tech Office Hours
No one is going to like this answer - but really - You need to make sure you have set up your google workspace to be HIPAA secure.
If you need help going through this - I would LOVE to support you. Schedule a consultation with me today!

Episode 102: Kaleigh Boysen-Quinata Family Systems and Supervision
Main topics:
Systemic Lens to working when working with Families.
Why Supervisees struggle with navigating Family system work.
What to do when parents say no.
Help supervisees learn how to navigate conflict.
Takeaways:
Teach your supervisee to involve the family.Talk about the relationship and how the client's mental health has been impacting family. Demonstrate how to ask these questions in your supervision.
Here are some questions you might ask:
- Who all is in this family circle?
- How does the client's mental health impact each of those people?
- What are the outcomes that each member is looking for?
- How are the behaviors of the rest of the family circle engaging in the clients growth or keeping them stuck?
What other questions do you ask? Drop me a line here and share!
Role play out the steps of what you are asking your supervisee to do in session. Make role play an active part of your training so that it stops being such a uncomfortable situation.
Help your supervisees explain how involving parents benefits kids.See where the parent is coming from and building on the strengths of that person in the kids life. If something that you are offering isn't working - find out why and see what ways you can shift to make something else work.
Links for Kaleigh:
Family Roots Therapy: https://familyrootstherapy.com/
Kaleigh's Social media: @familyrootstherapy

Episode 101: Supervision Smörgåsbord Intro Episode
This intro episode will share with you what you can expect from the show and how I got here sharing it with you!
This is a short episode (5 mins ish). Other episodes will range from 10 minutes to 60 minutes. The interview episodes are longer than the solo ones.
If you have questions you would like answered on the show - feel free to reach out!
www.drtarasanderson.com/podcast