If you‘re here I hope you believe in the importance of quality social work care, and now you may be wondering, well why do social workers need supervision.
Supervision is required for new social workers because we know there is only so much you can learn in school. A lot of social work skills can be taught, but need to be honed during practice, similar to that of a Doctor. Rather than doing a residency, social workers have different levels of licensure and during the lower levels of licensure a social worker will work with someone more experienced to help them improve their work.
Typically social work supervision can be broken down into three broad categories:
- Administrative Supervision is the supervision you receive regarding you administrative duties (progress notes, assessments, time cards, trainings, etc.). This is can be an important part of supervision to ensure that you are completing full documentation, keeping up with workplace requirements, etc. This is usually provided as part of a job by a supervisor or boss.
- Educational Supervision or Clinical Supervision is what a lot of social workers think of when they think of ‘supervision.’ This type of supervision is focused on expanding a social workers knowledge, and professional concerns regarding individual cases or clients. This can be provided by the same person who provides administrative supervision, another person within the organization, or an outside supervisor.
- Supportive Supervision focuses on decreasing professional stress in order to improve job function and overall well-being. This type of supervision can be provided by someone within an organization or an outside supervisor.
This practice of supervision is important for a number of reasons:
- Protect clients. Supervision can help to ensure that social workers are providing ethical and competent care to their clients. The supervisor can provide guidance and support to the social worker, and can also intervene if there are any concerns about the social worker’s practice.
- Support social workers. Supervision can provide a safe space for social workers to discuss their work, challenges, and successes. The supervisor can offer support and guidance, and can also help the social worker to develop their skills and knowledge.
- Ensure quality care. Supervision can help to ensure that social workers are providing quality care to their clients. The supervisor can help the social worker to stay up-to-date on the latest research and best practices, and can also provide feedback on the social worker’s work.
- Promote professional development. Supervision can help social workers to develop their skills and knowledge, and to advance their careers. The supervisor can provide guidance and support, and can also help the social worker to identify opportunities for professional development.
In the state of Minnesota (where I practice) there are the following requirements for Social Work Supervision.
- The number of hours of supervision required varies depending on the type of social work license that the supervisee is seeking. For example, an individual who is seeking an LICSW license will need to complete 200 hours of supervision over 4,000 to 8,000 hours (approximately 2 to 4 years) of practice., while an individual who is seeking an LSW license or an LISW will need to complete 100 hours of supervision over 4000 hours (approximately 2 years) of practice.
- Supervision can be provided in a variety of settings, including in-person, over the phone, or via video conferencing.
- Supervision can be provided both individually or in a group. At least half of your supervision (100 hours for LICSW or 50 hours for LSW or LISW) must be completed in individual supervision. Group supervision is limited to a total of 6 supervisees per group.
- Individual supervision provides a focused environment in where the focus is only on one supervisee for the meeting. This allows for more in-depth conversations and focused intervention for the supervisee to improve practice. g
- Group supervision provides an environment in which each participant can engage in different professional behaviors and roles. It gives the person presenting multiple different perspectives and ideas and allows the rest of the group members to practice providing feedback.
In closing, supervision is an important part of social work practice, and if you are looking for a clinical social work supervisor in Minnesota, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I provide individual and group supervision and would love to see if we are a good match!
Spreag Therapy and Consulting 