Preferred registration deadline: October 30th

3 CEs

Transitioning from clinical practice to clinical supervision requires a profound shift in professional identity, forcing leaders to balance the clinician’s innate mindset of support with the supervisor’s institutional mandate of accountability. Whether you’re a first-time supervisor seeking a foundational blueprint or a seasoned veteran looking to deepen your mastery, this workshop will explore how to consciously translate therapeutic competencies into high-impact clinical leadership.

A central focus of this workshop is navigating "The Therapeutic Trap", the common pitfall where supervisors inadvertently default to a counseling role when a supervisee struggles, blurring the line between clinical empathy and administrative oversight. To counteract this trap, we will learn to integrate Human Resources (HR) frameworks, establishing objective performance metrics that clearly separate professional development from personal therapy. We will examine risk management strategies, legal-ethical guardrails, and proper documentation practices necessary for protecting clients, supervisees, and organizations alike.

We will also look through the lens of the trainee, analyzing what distinguishes a "good" supervisor from a "bad" supervisor from the supervisee’s perspective. We will examine how common supervisory behaviors, ranging from micromanagement and emotional absence to psychological safety and constructive feedback, directly impact clinician retention and professional growth. Ultimately, this seminar bridges the gap between time-tested clinical wisdom, rigorous administrative compliance, and modern supervisory demands, leaving participants with a reflective, actionable framework to cultivate clinical excellence and mitigate staff burnout in today’s mental health landscape.

This workshop meets the Missouri requirement that LCSW supervisors receive 3 hours of continuing education in supervision per licensure period.

This is an interactive synchronous distance learning course via Zoom.

General Admission: $65**
**Eligible discounts can be applied during checkout.

Class size is limited to 45.

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Course Outline

Content Level: Intermediate

Target Audiences: Supervisors, Social Workers, Counselors, Psychologists, and other Mental Health Professionals.

Agenda:

• Welcome & Introductions/Overview - 5 mins
• Deconstructing the professional identity shift from clinician to supervisor; Intersection of clinical skills and admin oversight; The Dual Mandate - 35 mins
• Same Skill, Different Lens mapping; large group discussion - 20 mins
• The Trainee's Lens - Inadequate vs Exceptional Supervision - 50 mins
• Boundaries, Ethics, and "The Therapeutic Trap" - 50 mins
• Synthesis, Gatekeeping, and Q&A - 20 mins

Learner Outcomes

• Differentiate the roles and responsibilities of clinical supervisors from those of clinicians, including identifying situations in which supervisory interventions may inadvertently shift into a therapeutic or counseling role.
• Apply human resources, risk management, and documentation principles to clinical supervision scenarios in order to support supervisee development, maintain professional boundaries, and ensure legal and ethical compliance.
• Analyze supervisory practices that contribute to clinician growth, retention, and psychological safety, and evaluate strategies for providing effective feedback, accountability, and support within the supervisory relationship.

Course Completion Requirements:

• The Brown School, Washington University in St. Louis, Professional Development, provider #2130, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 9/24/2025 – 9/24/2028. Social workers completing this course receive 3 clinical continuing education credits.
• The Brown School is also an approved provider of Social Work CEs in Missouri and Illinois.
• To earn ACE credit, attendees must arrive at the scheduled time, attend the entire course, and complete an online course evaluation. ACE credit is not provided for partial attendance.  However, you may still qualify for partial Social Work Missouri and Illinois CEs provided by the Brown School.
• Brown School CE Certificates will be available online within 10 business days of course completion by visiting your learner profile at https://ce.wustl.edu/portal/logon.do?method=load&parentSite=brown.  You will receive an email notification with specific instructions for accessing the online certificate when it is available. ACE CE Certificates, if requested in your evaluation survey, will be emailed within 10 business days of course completion.
• For more information about CEs, accessibility, refund/cancelation policy, our grievance policy, or other inquiries please visit our About Us page or email brownprofdev@wustl.edu.