The Necessity of Improved Supervision Standards
In my next blog, I will reflect on the contrast between interest and commitment, drawing a connection to Dubin’s (1972) article discussing obsolescence. Before I do so, I would like to express a commitment to pursuing improved supervision standards and in this blog, propose measures that the Virginia Board of Counseling could take to decrease liability and increase care for those that we serve.
In August 2025, the Virginia Board of Counseling sent out an email indicating that regulations related to supervised residency requirements were being reviewed and they were looking for feedback from supervisors. The Virginia Board of Counseling has indicated that it is still in the process of reviewing supervised residency requirements to address supervision standards but my concern is that the board has settled on changing hours requirements for residents (effective December 2025) rather than expecting more from supervisors.
We have a wealth of literature speaking to the evidence of limited supervisor training and the impacts of poor supervision. Combine that with Dubin’s article on obsolescence and I am left scratching my head when I review the almost non-existent requirements for supervisor education and training. Dubin estimated the extent of obsolescence through the concept of half-life, “the time after completion of professional training when, because of new developments, practicing professionals have become roughly half as competent as they were upon graduation to meet the demands of their profession” and that the half-life of a psychology graduate was five years.
If the only requirement at this time was for 20 CE’s in supervisor training or a graduate-level course in supervision with 2 years of post-licensure experience, then we can surmise that we have a significant percentage of board-approved supervisors providing supervision from a place of obsolescence, leading to a significant percentage of board-approved, licensed clinicians having met minimum competencies under the supervision of a potentially obsolete supervisor.
To help combat this, I propose that at minimum 2 of the 20 CE’s required to maintain licensure in the state of Virginia be devoted to supervision if someone is a board-approved supervisor. Adding to this minimum, preferably the Virginia Board of Counseling would set the standard for supervision by providing the required training to become a board-approved supervisor and then have standards that require follow-up support and observation of the supervision being provided to better gatekeep the profession.
If you are looking for support or evaluation of the supervision you are providing or looking for more information about the supervision offered by Premier Supervision and Consultation, reach out for a free consultation meeting. For businesses needing supervision, reach out for an evaluation of supervision practices at your site.