How to Obtain Good Recommendation Letter from Clinical Supervisor?

[Darsha5000]

Hello,

I am currently in the process of requesting letters of recommendation for Clinical and Counseling programs. I have reviewed lots of advice on how to go about asking for letters from faculty, but not much on the kinds of things to include when requesting letters from employers.

My clinical supervisor is a Master's level clinician, so I am not sure how much experience she has writing letters. In the same way that it is advised to include various materials when requesting letters from professors in order to influence how one's letter is written, what can be included when asking for letter's from employers?

Perhaps promptings on what attributes of the candidate could be discussed?

Any feedback is appreciated.

Thanks.

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[psych.meout]

Hello,

I am currently in the process of requesting letters of recommendation for Clinical and Counseling programs. I have reviewed lots of advice on how to go about asking for letters from faculty, but not much on the kinds of things to include when requesting letters from employers.

My clinical supervisor is a Master's level clinician, so I am not sure how much experience she has writing letters. In the same way that it is advised to include various materials when requesting letters from professors in order to influence how one's letter is written, what can be included when asking for letter's from employers?

Perhaps promptings on what attributes of the candidate could be discussed?

Any feedback is appreciated.

Thanks.

Well, it should be pretty much the same thing as getting a letter from faculty. You want them to discuss in what capacity they know you, e.g. what research and clinical experiences you had with them (if any) and what responsibilities you had and what skills you demonstrated, what your academic abilities are like, your maturity level and capability to succeed in a graduate program, etc.

You can also look at the websites for the program you plan on applying to. Sometimes they'll have an actual form for your referees to use, they'll have likert rating scales for certain attributes and other info. Other times they'll specifically refer to things they're looking for in the letters to guide you towards not only what kind of info they want, but also what kinds of people you should get references from, e.g. faculty and research advisers/PIs.

 

[EmotRegulation]

Think closely about the kinds of programs you are applying to. A strong clinically focused letter might convey that you are only interested in clinical work, which might be a problem for more research focused programs. I definitely know faculty who put aside applicants who convey they are interested in a clinical career (again, at more research focused programs). I'd say that you would want the letter to convey good professionalism characteristics (take a look at the competencies for becoming a psychologist documents by the APA)--responsible, organized, ethical, etc. Because basic clinical skills (e.g., empathy, genuineness, etc.) also tend to translate into good working relationships, those skills are certainly worth mentioning. Anything an employer or supervisor can say about your intellectual curiosity would also be helpful (e.g., asks for additional resources, brings up research he/she has read outside the context of the job, etc.).

 

[entitlement]

I had similar advice to EmotRegulation when I applied to doctoral programs in regards to including letters from clinical supervisors (I was a master's level clinician for a number of years before applying to PhDs). My supervisors were clinical psychologists who also engaged in some research, so they could speak to both my clinical and research skills, but the emphasis was primarily on the research, even when speaking about my clinical work. People will give you varying advice on this but I still stand that no PhD program will never frown upon strong application materials about your research potential, but many will frown upon any materials indicating a clinical career (and again, this includes PhDs that lean more toward clinical). You never know who is going to be on that review committee.

If you have another letter writer who could speak to your research skills (assuming you are applying to PhDs) then I'd just be safe and go that route. If not, see if you can think of ways that this person can talk about your research skills, even broadly. For example, your inquisitiveness, experience with evidence-based treatments, knowledge about the current state of the art of the literature, etc.

 

[Darsha5000]

Thanks you all. Yes the programs to which I am applying emphasize research and practice equally. I made sure to ask my supervisor to comment on aspects of my character that lend themselves to success in research and academic pursuits.