In need of primary and secondary supervisor

[fredddvvv]

Hello everyone,
First off, I want to say how much I love this forum. The wealth of information is truly remarkable. I recently graduated with my masters in clinical mental health counseling. It’s time for me to apply for my intern licensing so that I may be able to sit for the NCE and become licensed.
I am in need of a primary and secondary supervisor. So I was looking through the provided list of approved supervisors and came across my old practicum supervisor. I emailed her and asked about her fee and she informed me it’s $120 per hour. I am in shock considering she wasn’t the best to begin with and I relied heavily on my school faculty for guidance in regards to my case load. She is also a graduate of university of Phoenix which I’m sure is a fine institution if that’s where you decided to pursue your educational career.
I want to ask if it’s normal to spend this much on supervision a month and if so, how are we suppose to afford that? Thank you all.

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[R. Matey]

Unfortunately, this isn't abnormal for the master's level. It's less common in psychology where there are programmed training fellowships. Are you in community mental health center, or are you trying to make in PP?

 

[AcronymAllergy]

In informal training setups (e.g., outside a formal fellowship, practicum, etc.), it's not unusual for supervisors at various levels to charge their normal hourly rate for supervision. $120 doesn't sound egregiously high in that context, but I also don't know if supervisors typically give discounted rates to folks in this situation.

 

[fredddvvv]

Unfortunately, this isn't abnormal for the master's level. It's less common in psychology where there are programmed training fellowships. Are you in community mental health center, or are you trying to make in PP?

I work for an eating disorder center now so I would utilize my supervisor there as my primary. I’m in need of a second one and it sounds like I will have to succumb to that fee. Thanks everyone for all the help and information.

 

[R. Matey]

I work for an eating disorder center now so I would utilize my supervisor there as my primary. I’m in need of a second one and it sounds like I will have to succumb to that fee. Thanks everyone for all the help and information.

I had to pay for secondary supervision in CBT back when I was getting my LPC so I feel ya.

 

[Lukewarm Counselor]

I am a little confused as to why one would need a secondary supervisor. This must be a licensure req in your particular state? If you work for an agency, I would lean on them to provide supervision as part of your employment contract. It sounds like you already covered this base. Can you negotiate with your agency to pick up some/all of the costs associated with your secondary supervisor? I does not cost anything to ask, I suppose. And the worst they could do is say no.

That all said, $120 per hour is about the going rate in my area. (I charge more than this, myself.) But I would absolutely expect quality/competent supervision for this fee. For $120 per hour, I would expect my supervisor to serve as much more than just a rubber stamp. For this money, I would expect my supervisor's full attention and even a level of mentorship.

I have mixed feelings on U of P. On one hand, their reputation is atrocious and they nearly lost their accreditation in recent years. On the other hand, a couple of the most competent clinicians I have ever met hold UP degrees (a secondary degree in education, though). I would not necessarily immediately rule someone out for a UP degree, but I would take note of it and expect them to perform adequately from the start. If they did not perform, I would likely cut them loose quickly. But that is just me...

 

[R. Matey]

I am a little confused as to why one would need a secondary supervisor. This must be a licensure req in your particular state? If you work for an agency, I would lean on them to provide supervision as part of your employment contract. It sounds like you already covered this base. Can you negotiate with your agency to pick up some/all of the costs associated with your secondary supervisor? I does not cost anything to ask, I suppose. And the worst they could do is say no.

Some folks like to pick up secondary supervision to increase their skillset in a particular area of practice.