Clinicians, even highly trained ones, must continue building skills throughout their careers. New insights and approaches emerge, and treatment changes in response (or at least, it’s supposed to). In recent years we’ve seen increased emphasis on clinical supervision, that process of mentoring and monitoring that accompanies the practice of counseling. The idea is that clinicians who improve their skills produce better outcomes for the client.
One way for an organization to foster growth among its clinical staff is through a professional development plan. We’ve linked to our free plan form, a stripped-down version of one you can find in SAMHSA’s excellent Treatment Improvement Protocol 52, Clinical Supervision and Professional Development of the Substance Abuse Counselor. You can download the entire TIP free here.
Every year, supervisor and counselor sit down to review the clinician’s progress on identified goals and objectives.
Click the link in the sidebar to download the Professional Development Plan, a useful tool for supervisors to help staff plan and review professional development efforts.
