Many people are confused about the difference between Clinical Consultation and Clinical Supervision. At Lavender Counselling, we provide both Clinical Consultation, and Clinical Supervision. BCACC differentiates Clinical Consultation as being a voluntary experience that is similar to Clinical Supervision; however, there is no evaluative component and the person receiving Clinical Consultation is a practicing clinician seeking to gain advanced clinical knowledge or additional experience to support their ongoing practice. BCACC defines Clinical Supervision as a planned, goal-directed activity that takes place at regular intervals between a trained Clinical Supervisor and a supervisee. The Clinical Supervisor takes on some level of responsibility for client care and supervisee sagety (e.g., Student Practicum Supervision & Consent Agreements). We also provide Supervision of Supervision which is when a trained Supervisor of Supervision supports a supervisor in gaining or maintaining the required skills to supervise other clincians.
This page is a resource for counsellors, whether fully registered, or in the process of completing their Master’s Degree in a psychotherapeutic discipline. We encourage you to discuss your hopes for professional support during your complimentary conversation so you and the Supervisor can ensure you are both on the same page and moving in the same direction. The following offerings have been designed to ensure you feel well supported, and equipped to work in the profession with the highest standards of care and ethical practice.
Clinical Supervision
Clinical Supervision facilitates the ongoing professional development of the Supervisee and ensures ethical decision making alongside cultural competence. It supports supervisees in learning about their blind spots and assists them in exploring the complexitites of their relationship to their client and themselves through exercises designed to promote reflection and introspection. In many instances Clinical Supervisors function as gate-keepers to the profession through providing ongoing assessement of the supervisee’s work. At Lavender Counselling, we provide ongoing training and support for you throughout the lifespan of your professional career.
Supervision of Students in Practicum Placements
Designed for students registered in a Master’s Degree program in a psychotherapeutic discipline. We exclusively train students seeking a practicum placement that rests on a solid person centered foundation. We believe in supporting students to be in congruence with themselves, and geniune in their relationships with their clients. We teach unconditional positive regard, and broach all of our work with clients through a deeply empathic understanding of the client’s experience.
Our practicum placement fulfills, and often exceeds, the requirements for BCACC, and CCPA registration.
Clinical Supervision for Counsellors
Clinical Supervision is for you if you’re looking for someone to walk alongside you in a structured, consistent, and ongoing way as you develop in the profession. This process includes feedback and ongoing assessment of the Supervisee’s work. These sessions can be used if you are seeking to become an ACS at a future time as you will require at least 75 post-graduate hours of supervision.
At Lavender Counselling, we have a team of Counsellors who provide Clinical Supervision generally and also in various specializations, including working with First Responders and their family members, trauma therapy, chronic pain and illness, traumatic grief, suicidality or high risk clinicial presentations, Person Centred Therapy, and Internal Family Systems.
ACS Candidate Supervision of Supervision
If you have taken your 30-36 hour course on the Fundamentals of Supervision we provide the required 18 hours of Supervision of Supervision by a qualified ACS. We primairly support those seeking to develop their supervision through the lens of broadly Person Centred modalities.
At Lavender Counselling we have a couple of therapists who offer Supervision of Supervision individually or in dyads so you can satisfy the requirements.
Supervision of Supervision (SoS)
If you’re experienced in the field, you may feel confident in your own work and thus equipped to begin supervising others. However, supervising others is a unique comptetency in the field of psychotherapy. It requires both formalized training and supervision, in order to develop the necessary self awareness and skills to provide these services to others in the field.
At Lavender Counselling, we have a team of counsellors who meet the criteria to provide SoS and we would be pleased to support as you develop this competency.
Supervision of Supervision (SoS) Group for Maintaining your ACS
If you’re experienced in the field, and you’re an Approved Clinical Supervisor, but now you need to satisfy the Quality Assurance and Continuing Competency (QACC) requirements to maintain your ACS. You require 16 hours of Supervision of Supervision over a two year period to satisfy these requirements.
At Lavender Counselling, we host a group for experienced Supervisors who are seeking to learn in a community with others who are also engaged in the practice of Supervising others. We invite you to join our group grounded in focusing-informed contemporary person centred practice to deepen your sense of self as a supervisor.
Complaint Process/Consent Agreements
Registered Clinical Counsellors who believe a complaint may be lodged against them through the BCACC may feel scared, unsure, or unfairly blamed. At Lavender Counselling, we provide support for you as you seek to navigate this process which can often feel pretty destabilizing.
We also support those who have received a complaint and who require Clinical Supervision at all time points of the investigation process. We support you in sorting through your own reactions prior to and as you write your response, in writing your response directly, as you seek to prevent further complaints, and in the consent agreement process that comes following the committee’s investigation. We provide clinical support through the Complaint Resolution Process and supervision for improving clinicial practice as dictated by the consent agreement.
Training for Clinicians & Group Practices
Clinical Note Taking Workshop
Clinical note taking is often overlooked in clinical practicums. Further, clinicians can be trained in different approaches, depending on the organizations doing the training and at times, those directions can conflict. So often counsellors wrestle with the nuances of what to put in their notes, and a consistent theoretical framework to guide them. If you are feeling unsure, or insecure about your note taking, join us online for this live workshop.
Professional Boundaries Workshop
As Counsellors, we are required to uphold professional boundaries. But, often, they can conflict or collide. In these situations, your next steps can feel very shaky as you see risks on both sides. While many Universities offer Ethics courses, none are specifically aligned with the BCACC Code of Ethics. If you are feeling unsure about your professional boundaries, join us online for this live, zoom-workshop.
Imposter Syndrome: Help, I feel like a fake!
If you’re feeling panic to ensure you’ve adequately prepared the ‘right’ material for client sessions, or beating yourself up because the client did not respond well to your planned intervention, this workshop is for you. It is not uncommon for counsellors to be sitting with clients and wondering what gives them the right to be there? How could they possibly help the client?
Group Therapy Available to Counselling Professionals
Relational Practices in Counselling Group – Phase 1
This group is designed for current students or recent graduates of a Master’s of Counselling program. It serves as a supportive space where members can share resources, discuss challenges, and exchange insights as they navigate their early professional journeys. Connecting with peers through this group provides a cost-effective way to enhance your learning and professional development without the expense of additional formal training. Together, we aim to foster a community of collaboration and growth in the field of counselling.
Date: April 11, 8:45am-2:30pm
Counsellors’ Trauma Group
This group is designed for counsellors to come together in a retreat style group to work through their own trauma.
Date: Email reception@lavendercounselling.com to be placed on the waitlist.