What are your qualifications as a clinical supervisor and areas of interest?

I am a board designated LCSW supervisor in the state of Texas. My experiences include hospital social work, child protective services, hospital case management, substance abuse, school classroom management, small medical clinic practice manager, and full-time managing owner of The Courageous You PLLC. I have over a decade of experience working with children, adolescents, adults, and families. I am extremely passionate about helping Black men and women address mental health challenges, and develop the skills to manage societal pressures, microaggressions, and systemic discriminatory practices in their personal and professional lives. I stress the need to educate Black communities on the connection between mental health and physical health due to our high rates of death from chronic diseases. I further believe it is important for clinicians to assist clients in learning how to connect past trauma to current physical health challenges and faulty thinking and behavioral patterns.

I love to educate and guide future clinicians and truly cherish my role as gatekeeper of our profession. I am committed to ensuring my supervises are fully prepared to work independently and equally committed to their personal development and well-being.

What is my time and financial investment?

For full-time supervision, you are required to devote at least 4 hours per month to attend supervision sessions. Your investment is $300 per month. This includes one 2-hour virtual group session, and two 60-minute individual virtual sessions per month. I require individual sessions outside of group in order to provide you with my undivided attention, and ensure you receive guidance and feedback that is tailored to your specific clinical needs and client caseload.

What does my investment include?

You investment includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Ongoing access to me outside of group or individual supervision times for case consultation, ethical dilemmas, and any additional feedback.

• Utilizing my expertise, clinical social work knowledge, experiences, and various skills with diverse populations in multiple settings.

• Instruction and support on the real life application of the NASW Code of Ethics and DSM-V.

• Documentation review and feedback.

• Review evidence-based therapy modalities.

• Individual and group feedback on case and ethical dilemma presentations.

• Additional skills development outside of group or individual supervision times, if I observe or you express experiencing challenges with certain clients or skills.

• I will assume responsibility and liability for your clients and all decisions you make related to your clients throughout the course of supervision. This means, my license is at risk if I do not provide appropriate supervision and prioritize the wellbeing of your clients.  

• In addition to the core competencies, I will also provide training materials and guidance tailored to your specific clinical interests.

• I will complete and submit all documentation required by the Board for you to receive licensure. 

• I provide guidance on how to start and manage a private practice, this includes credentialing, EHR, required documentation, etc. 

• Most importantly, your investment includes a supervisor who is committed to ensuring you are fully prepared to work independently and equally committed to your personal development and well-being.

Check out this article if you’re a little concerned about the investment to obtain your clinical license.  https://tamarasuttle.com/clinical-supervision-and-money-gouging/

Do I have to live in the same city as my supervisor?

No. Thanks to the good old internet, I can provide supervision to any LMSW in the state of Texas!

Will the hours at my current job count towards the 3000 hours supervision requirement?

Based on recent board changes, it is my responsibility to determine if your employment qualifies for professional and clinical experience. In order for your work setting to qualify, your position must include assessing, diagnosing, and treating mental health conditions using the DSM-V criteria for a minimum of 4 hours per work.

How long do I have to be in supervision?

You must complete 100 total hours of supervision and work a total of 3,000 hours in an approved job position to be eligible to sit for the ASWB Licensure exam. However, the board states you are required to receive clinical supervision for a minimum of 24 months.

How do I start supervision?

The first step is to contact my office at 832-598-4003 or admin@thecourageousyou.com to schedule a consultation. You will be asked to provide a copy of your current job description and resume for me to review prior to our meeting.

During the consultation, you will be able to ask questions about the clinical supervision process, my qualifications, and supervision style. I will want to know about your clinical experiences, short and long-term professional goals, and expectations. If we are a good fit, I will provide information on the next steps, and we will get started once all required documentation is complete.