Clinical Supervision of Addiction Counselors

Education and Training

Ideally, clinical supervisors learn their craft as part of a graduate school experience. This experience is a learning opportunity that includes both classroom and experiential components and is managed by expert counselor educators who teach clinical supervision to doctoral level and postmasters students. For example, at the Hazelden Graduate School in Minnesota, the clinical supervisor training program incorporates postmasters clinical staff who enroll in a clinical supervision course. During this course, the potential clinical supervisors provide supervision to master's students at a clinical site and participate in a weekly faculty supervision group where they progress from observation to facilitation, with videotaping of their work and appropriate feedback. This process provides the treatment organization with a staff of trained clinical supervisors. After initial training, conference and other training opportunities can enhance knowledge and skill. For those who cannot access a graduate school, continuing education programs covering the basics of clinical supervision are available at conferences and via distance education.

Certifications and Licensure

The International Certification & Reciprocity Consortium/Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse, Inc. (IC&RC) grew out of the certification movement of addiction counselors and provides certification in counseling and clinical supervision. Frequently, state certification and/or licensing boards also offer certification of clinical supervisors.

Because of the inconsistency of clinical supervision certification between the states, individuals seeking certification as a clinical supervisor should check with the state agency overseeing certification and Ucensure. IC&RC provides a guide regarding state certification and licensing boards for those states belonging to the consortium.

Ethical Guidelines

Along with the Certification of Clinical Supervisors, IC&RC provides standards to guide clinical supervisors of addiction professionals in their practice. The IC&RC has identified the domains of assessment and evaluation, counselor development, professional responsibility, and management and administration in these ethical standards. Supervisors have the responsibility to be guardians of ethical behavior and to be versed in the nuances of the federal, state, and agency ethical standards.

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