“Clinical (CAP) supervision is an intervention that is provided by a senior member of a profession to a more junior member of that profession. The relationship is evaluative, hierarchical, and extends over time. It has the purpose of enhancing the professional functioning of the junior member, monitoring the quality of professional services offered to the people they see, and serving as a gatekeeper for the particular profession to person seeks to enter” (Bernard & Goodyear, 2019). “Supervisors, therefore, hold responsibility for the people they supervise, the clients that are seen, and the well-being of the general public” (Ellis, 2024).
Are you a provisional psychologist in Alberta? Download my evaluated hours of practice tracker template to simplify your hours tracking and take the guess work out of totals!
Consistently implements evolving best practice, has respect for and responsibly cares for the supervisee, and seeks a deep, multifaceted understanding of the supervisee including their cultural-ethnical background, identities and unique developmental level. They use this understanding to promote the supervisees profound insight, development, sense of empowerment, and willingness to take risks. They work collaboratively to maintain evolving professional relationship characterized by deeply valuing the humanity of each other, mutual caring, genuineness, transparency, humility, flexibility, professionalism, and a willingness and ability to “exist in the moment.”
Supervisees who receive exceptional supervision are more likely to experience empowered insight, feelings of validation, and support within and as a result of the relationship. Exceptional supervision is adequate supervision enhanced. For example, gatekeeping of the profession, if done so compassionately, is exceptional supervision; on the other hand, gatekeeping that is done so vindictively, is harmful supervision.
Meets all current standards of care, legal and ethical standards. The supervisor has the proper credentials as defined by the supervisor’s discipline or profession, has the appropriate knowledge and skills for clinical supervision and an awareness of their limitations. They obtain consent for supervision and/or use a supervision contract and provides a minimum of one hour of individual supervision per week. They observe, review, or monitor’s supervisees therapy sessions or parts thereof, and provides evaluative feedback to the supervisee that is fair, respectful and honest.
Supervision is simply not provided or is not up to standards; supervisor is unable or unwilling to meet supervisees professional training needs, or supervisor fails to protect the client from harm. Supervisor does not serve as a gatekeeper for the profession, and ultimately, puts supervisee, clients, and the general public at risk. The learning needs of the supervisee is not met, the supervisee is less likely to disclose and gain self-efficacy, and there are legal and ethical risks.
Inadequate supervision in addition to the supervisor’s actions or inactions resulting in psychological, emotional, or physical harm or trauma. This does not include instances where the supervisee struggled with painful issues in supervision or were given necessary feedback that was difficult to hear or emotionally upsetting. It can have a negative impact on clients, result in traumatization of the supervisee, and result in them leaving the profession entirely.
*as of January 2023
The College of Alberta Psychologists requires all provisional psychologists to complete a minimum of 1600 hours of supervised practice, successfully pass the Law and Ethics for Alberta Psychologists (LEAP) exam and successfully pass the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) exam. These steps must be completed within 5 years of registering as a provisional psychologist, and you can only attempt the EPPP three times; therefore, it is recommended that you prepare for an attempt the EPPP as soon as possible following your registration as a provisional psychologist. The LEAP exam must be completed within 6 months following your registration as a provisional psychologist. A total of 107 supervision hours are required to register as a psychologist and are in addition to (not included in) your 1600 hours of supervised practice.
For more information visit https://www.cap.ab.ca.
I am passionate about helping provisional psychologists enter this field as registered psychologists who are competent, confident, and with the energy it takes to create a lasting and fulfilling career. With this in mind, I have carefully set my fee structure the following way:
Individual Supervision: $150/hour
Group Supervision: $200/session (this works out to be $100 per hour as each group supervision is 2 hours in length)
I think this fee structure reflects fair compensation for me and my expertise, while also being mindful of the financial burden becoming a registered psychologist can have on most people. However, if at any time you are having a hard time paying for supervision, please let me know so we can discuss a plan moving forward that we are both satisfied with.
During our time together, we will meet for one hour of supervision for every 15 hours you are counting towards your supervised practice. For instance, if you are working 30 hours per week, we will meet for two hours a week. Meetings can be virtual or in-person. I use Jane App for booking and online video conferencing. We must meet in-person for at least 25% of your supervision hours, and that will be done on site at your place of work. Please note, I can only travel within the city of Calgary and/or surrounding areas.
During our first meeting we will review my informed consent for supervision, and you will provide me with a copy of your supervision plan and confirmation of professional liability insurance (minimum of 5 million). I will require a consent form signed by your employer allowing me to come on site and access client files, as well as consent to begin a working relationship with any other supervisor you are working with. In the next few subsequent sessions, we will discuss your professional goals, how you would most prefer to receive feedback, and how we will structure supervision sessions.
Some examples of how supervision sessions with me can look:
Case consultation
Review documentation
Discuss therapeutic modalities
View your sessions (live or recorded)
Watch me be a “guest therapist” for one of your clients
Self-care and mitigating burnout
Administrative tasks
I also host monthly group supervisions which you are strongly encouraged to attend.
The process of becoming a registered psychologist can be daunting. It takes a great deal of strength, courage, and resilience. I am committed to helping you through this process with warmth, compassion, and flexibility. I take a genuine interest in who you are as a person so we can develop great rapport and build a good working alliance. You should feel safety within supervision, and I take great care to ensure that happens.
Professional Development in Clinical Supervision:
The Foundations of Clinical Supervision (2023)
Powerful Conversations (2023)
Resilience Informed Therapy and Supervision (2025)
Please book a free 30 min, no obligation consultation so we can meet and decide if we are the right fit. I look forward to hearing from you!
Email me at shawnatimms@gmail.com or click the link below to access my booking site
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shawnatimms@gmail.com
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