Regardless of your profession, continuous professional development is necessary so that you can be the best that you can be.  Therefore, as a professional counselor, the idea of continuous professional development is crucial for your success and your clients’ success. As an educator and counselor for twenty-three years, I recently completed my training to become a counselor supervisor.  So with this blog entry, I would like to share three major benefits of what counseling supervision should provide to a new counselor.

Benefit #1:  Promote Your Professional Identity

First of all, for a new counselor, the most tangible benefit of counseling supervision is that you will be fulfilling one of the final requirements toward obtaining a professional counselor license from your state.  Why is this important?  This informs your clients and potential clients that you have received optimal counseling training and supervision. In other words, you will be highly qualified to help your clients. 

Benefit #2: Promote the Development of Your Counseling Competencies

As the counselor supervisor serves in the roles of teacher, counselor and consultant, the new counselor will be improving counseling competencies.  The specific counseling competencies evaluated during counseling supervision include:  (1) intervention skills, (2) assessment techniques, (3) interpersonal assessment, (4) client conceptualization, (5) individual differences and multiculturalism, (6) theoretical orientation, (7) treatment plan and goals, and (8) professional ethics. In addition, the counseling supervisor and counselor supervisee may develop specific counseling competency goals to be achieved during counseling supervision.   

Benefit #3:  Promote the Welfare of Your Clients

During counseling supervision, the counselor supervisor is ultimately responsible for the welfare of the clients that the counselor supervisee presents for consultative feedback.  This can be a great aid to a new counselor who may be unsure of professional ethics or legal issues.  In addition, because of the counselor supervisor’s professional experience, the counselor supervisor provides many functions such as advising/instructing, supporting/sharing, counseling/consulting, modeling, monitoring/evaluating, as well as providing administrative documents to promote the professional competencies of the new counselor.

Summing up, continuous professional development is a necessity for your professional growth and success. I look forward with my professional development to provide three valuable benefits for new counselors seeking counseling supervision.  The three benefits for new counselors who obtain counseling supervision include (1) promoting professional identity through fulfilling a necessary step to obtain a professional counseling license,  (2) promoting counseling competencies in eight specific areas of counseling, and (3) promoting the welfare of clients. In short, counseling supervision develops new counselors to become highly effective counselors who will be able to serve their clients with greater care, competence and professionalism.      
________________________________________________________________________Michael Walters is a high school counselor and a licensed professional counselor. He has a special interest in strengthening family relationships and empowering individuals to reach their goals.