As a current Resident in Counseling, I have been receiving supervision under an LCSW for the past year and am currently in the process of finding a LPC in the area to finish out my hours - which has been extremely hard. Many LPC's charge $80-100/hour, which is difficult for someone in this field to pay out of pocket every week. There are also a lack of LPC's who are willing to provide supervision in many area in Virginia. By doing it through my agency,  I have had a good experience being able to work directly under someone who understands what I do in my position and can be available to me every day if I need her. Also, it takes 3+ months for the board to approve a supervisor, and I have lost many hours just waiting for the board to approve my paperwork. The board needs make the approval process easier before making things more difficult in the long run for us.

I have a few suggestions:

-The board should regulate the amount a LPC can charge for their supervisory sessions to make it realistic instead of a way for them to gain an extra $100 or more a week in cash.

-Maybe the board should provide some type of class for LCSW's before they can supervise LPC's to help them better understand the LPC requirements and ethics, so they are more readily prepared to provide supervision for LPC's, if that is the worry.

If I had not been able to receive supervision under an LCSW, I probably would be nowhere near where I am now in regards to my hours.