Just think: you’ve graduated, holding that shiny MSW diploma in your hands. A diploma that means so much. How hard you’ve worked, how long you’ve spent researching clinical practices, theories or performing mock therapy sessions all to be filmed then displayed and analyzed to your peers. All this hard work has paid off when you land your first job. But, what now? This idea of clinical guidance, or ‘clinical supervision’ as most of us know it, becomes a key piece to our continued learning as clinicians and social workers post-graduation.

In school, you have the ability to process with professors, peers and even your field instructor and when those difficult ethical dilemmas arise. How to go about using an alternate clinical interventions or facing a client crises becomes weekly content with these outlets, but where do you turn to when you’ve graduated? You are now on your own… or are you?

Some agencies provide on-site clinical supervision. However, some do not. Here is what you need to ask yourself and your potential supervisor when the shopping begins:

1. Experience: You want a supervisor with relevant experience that you find interesting. Does this supervisor’s clinical experiences match the trajectory or my professional goals? Do they support the same theoretical approaches I’m currently utilizing in my job?
2. Knowledge: Does this supervisor obtain up-to-date knowledge on systematic changes, macro and micro level systems that directly affect my work with clients? Do they obtain the knowledge to guide me through difficult clinical situations, whether it be with a client and/or system?
3. Connection: Do I feel connected? We all need to feel connection, whether it’s with colleagues, peers, clients and even supervisors. This is especially true in clinical supervision. Sometimes, clinical supervision can feel a bit like therapy; it can be intense and emotional, including the dreaded discussions of personal countertransference as they arise.
4. Licensure preparation: Will this supervisor assist me in preparation for licensure? Whether it be the anticipated LCSW exam, or a broader preparation, such as feeling clinically confident to tackle these cases without supervision post LCSW.
5. The logistics: You’ll want to ask your supervisor: “How many hours am I allowed to count? Do you communicate with the board, or do I? Do I track my own hours, or do you? What is your times/availability?”

Overall, the key to remember is the power of good clinical supervision. You have this short time in your life to take advantage of this requirement for supervision, so why not go all in and invest in the best supervision possible. The results can only harbor more confidence when you proudly hold your hard earned license.