Has supervision started to feel more like a weekly conversation than an actual evaluation process?

I know how easy it is for evaluation to slip when your caseload is full and your supervisees seem to be doing fine. The problem is that "fine" is not something you can measure, document, or rely on when a serious concern shows up later.

In this episode, Dr. Ashley Stephens Durbin and I talk about the evaluation habits that help supervisors stay clear, consistent, and defensible. We also talk about something that comes up constantly in helping professions: the difference between being nice and actually being kind.

Sometimes kindness means naming a concern. Sometimes it means telling a supervisee their caseload is not giving them enough experience to develop. And sometimes it means documenting a problem today instead of hoping someone else catches it later.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why being nice can actually interfere with effective supervision
• How consistent evaluation and documentation protect everyone involved
• Why supervisees should understand the evaluation instrument from the beginning
• How simple assessments can help supervisors identify burnout and support needs

You need one observable habit you can actually repeat. Find an instrument. Put evaluation on the calendar. Tell your supervisees what you are doing and why.

Good evaluation is part of growing a future colleague you can confidently refer to someday.

Want to learn more? Check out this month’s free bonus resource from Kate Walker Training.

Want deeper support? Inside the Step It Up Membership, we continue these conversations about evaluation, documentation, ethical supervision, and the systems that help supervisors lead clearly and consistently.

Get your step by step guide to private practice. Because you are too important to lose to not knowing the rules, going broke, burning out, and giving up. #counselorsdontquit.

Most associates do not know what good supervision is supposed to feel like until they have experienced it. That creates a problem.

In this episode, I feature Dr. Tara Fox, clinical director and assistant clinical professor at Sacred Heart University, to talk about what actually raises the standard for clinical supervision. We look at the relationship from both sides: what associates should be asking for and what supervisors should be prepared to provide.

We start by separating two decisions that often get lumped together: choosing a clinical site and choosing a supervisor. A site might offer the right population or enough clinical hours and still not provide the supervisory relationship you need. Likewise, a great supervisor cannot fix every problem inside a poorly structured workplace.

Tara walks through the questions associates should ask before entering supervision, including how sessions are structured, how feedback is delivered, how evaluations work, what happens during urgent situations, and how accessible the supervisor is outside scheduled meetings.

We also dig into red flags. Vague expectations. No evaluation process. Poor documentation. Pressure to work outside your scope. A supervisor who repeatedly cancels. A workplace that prioritizes billing over development.

Those things matter because supervision is not simply a meeting you attend to collect hours. It is part of how you learn to make ethical decisions when your supervisor is no longer sitting beside you.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How to evaluate both a clinical site and a potential supervisor
• What questions to ask before entering a supervision relationship
• Which supervision red flags can signal bigger problems
• Why contracts, evaluation, documentation, and clear expectations matter

If you are an associate, I want you to remember that you are allowed to ask questions. You are allowed to understand what you are agreeing to. And you are allowed to pay attention when something does not seem right.

If you are a supervisor, this is our responsibility too. Raising the standard means creating supervision that is structured, transparent, ethical, and strong enough for difficult conversations.

Want to learn more? Check out this month’s free bonus resource from Kate Walker Training.

If this episode has you rethinking how you choose, structure, or provide supervision, the Step It Up Membership is where we keep going. Inside, we work through the real-world systems, documentation, ethics, and decisions that help supervisors and practice owners build stronger, more sustainable clinical practices.

Get your step by step guide to private practice. Because you are too important to lose to not knowing the rules, going broke, burning out, and giving up. #counselorsdontquit.

If you have ever bought a continuing education course and wondered whether the material would actually help you in practice, this episode is for you.

A certificate tells you that you completed something. It does not automatically tell you whether the training was current, accurate, practical, or designed by someone who understands the work you are about to do.

In this episode, I feature Jennifer Marie Fairchild, Chief Operating Officer at Kate Walker Training, to talk about what separates meaningful continuing education from training that simply checks a box. We talk about AI-generated content, outdated information, human support, course updates, and the questions I want you to ask before you spend your money.

For supervisors, this matters even more. You are making decisions that affect your supervisees, their clients, and your own license. Information alone is not enough. You need training that helps you apply what you know.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why speed and convenience should not replace accuracy in continuing education
• What AI can miss when training depends on current rules and real supervision scenarios
• Why access to human support matters after you finish a supervisor course
• What to check before purchasing a course, including instructors, updates, references, and syllabi

The question is not simply, “Will this course give me the hours I need?” Ask whether the training will still help you when something goes sideways six months from now.

Training that holds up keeps up with the work.

Want to learn more? Check out this month’s free bonus resource from Kate Walker Training.

Want deeper support? Inside the Step It Up Membership, we continue these conversations through continuing education, supervision resources, documentation systems, and practical support for therapists and supervisors building sustainable practices.

Get your step by step guide to private practice. Because you are too important to lose to not knowing the rules, going broke, burning out, and giving up. #counselorsdontquit.