Understanding Clinical Supervision Rates

Whether you’re a therapist-in-training or a seasoned therapist seeking consultation, you’ve probably thought about the cost of clinical supervision and you may have even wondered what influences clinical supervision rates. This article breaks down the clinical supervision rates across and addresses factors influencing these rates.

Clinical Supervision Rates

First of all, it’s important to highlight that clinical supervision rates vary depending on the clinical supervisor’s profession, province, and experience. In addition, the type of clinical supervision provided typically changes the clinical supervision rate. For example, group clinical supervision tend to cost less per session than one-to-one clinical supervision sessions because group sessions provide less personalized support than one-to-one sessions.

In saying this, as clinical supervisors set their own rate for clinical supervision, it’s impossible to give the exact clinical supervision cost. However, it’s not uncommon for clinical supervisors to set individual clinical supervision rates between $130 and $220 per session, and group clinical supervision rates between $70 and $150, with some clinical supervisors changing less and others charging more.

Session Length on Clinical Supervision Rates

Also, it’s important to note that the session length can also affect clinical supervision cost. For instance, typical clinical supervision sessions are either 50-minute or 1-hour in length. However, some clinical supervisors offer shorter session, which tend to cost less than the traditional 1-hour sessions. While others provide longer intensive sessions which tend to cost more.

Similarly, depending on the group size, group clinical supervision sessions can run anywhere between 1 to 3 hours. a 3-hour group clinical supervision session is much likely to cost more than a 1-hour group clinical supervision session.

Clinical Consultation Rates

Whether you’re a provisional therapist or a fully registered therapist seeking clinical consultation can influence the clinical supervision cost. Although, ethical standards require all therapists to seek regular clinical consultation to enhance their practice. Provisional therapists are often bound by regulatory requirements to obtain the required number of clinical supervision hours in order to obtain registration or licensure. Some regulatory bodies require clinical supervisors to meet specific qualifications or training in order to gain pre-approval by the regulatory body to classify one’s self as a clinical supervisor. So, this can limit the number of options a provisional therapist has when choosing a clinical supervisor.

However, fully registered therapists require less regulatory oversight than provisional therapists, so fully registered therapists have more options. While fully registered therapists can seek clinical consultation from a clinical consultant, fully registered therapists may also have access to peer clinical consultation groups, which may have a low or no cost. However, peer clinical consultation groups do have a significant limitation, group members may have less or equal experience to you. Although, peer clinical consultation is a great practice resource, it’s best practice to seek clinical advice from an experienced clinical consultant.  

Choosing a Clinical Supervisor or Consultant

Although, the cost of clinical supervision can impact one’s decision on which clinical supervisor or consultant to choose, it’s important to consider more than just the price tag. As clinical supervision and clinical consultation are tools to build professional skills, navigate ethical dilemmas, and enhance client-care, it’s important to choose a clinical supervisor or consultant who’s a good fit for you and who can help you reach your professional goals. When choosing a clinical supervisor or consultant, consider their specialities, theoretical orientation, as well as their approach to clinical supervision beyond just the clinical supervision rate.

Conclusion

So, there you have it—clinical supervision rates can range between $70 to $220 (or more), depending on the clinical supervisor’s profession, location, or experience. Also, clinical supervision rates widely vary between the types of clinical supervision provided. With group clinical supervision typically costing less than one-to-one clinical supervision. However, if you’re a fully registered therapist, you may be able to access peer clinical consultation at low to no cost.

If you’re on the hunt for a clinical supervisor or clinical consultant, the Canadian Clinical Supervision therapist directory is a fantastic resource to search through listings for free. When searching through profiles, you can learn more about the clinical supervisor or consultant’s specialities, theoretical orientation, the types of supervision that they offer, and their clinical supervision rates.

So, why wait?

Check out the Canadian Clinical Supervision therapist directory to find your next clinical supervisor or clinical consultant.