WHAT DOES A CLINICAL SUPERVISOR DO?

Updated: July 22, 2024 - The Clinical Supervisor oversees counseling case assignments and ensures compliance with state and federal regulations, including Virginia Department of Behavioral Health standards. This role includes providing training and technical assistance to community agencies, as well as individual and group supervision to counseling staff. Additionally, the supervisor manages a caseload and conducts performance appraisals, filling in for absent counselors as needed.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Clinical Supervisor

1. Clinical Supervisor Duties

  • Research and Evaluation: Participates in research and evaluation activities as required by the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health.
  • Community Training: Provides training and technical assistance to community agencies.
  • Supervisory Skills: Provides individual and group supervision to counseling staff.
  • Client Management Training: Provides training regarding managing difficult or complex clients.
  • Performance Appraisals: Conducts counseling staff performance appraisals.
  • Case Management Oversight: Oversees counseling case assignments and discharges.
  • Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Conducts weekly case conferences with the interdisciplinary team.
  • Regulatory Compliance: Ensures compliance with all state and federal regulations.
  • Policy Enforcement: Must be knowledgeable of and enforce agency policies and procedures.
  • Caseload Management: Manages a caseload and fills in for absent counselors.

2. Clinical Supervisor Details

  • Clinical Contact Coordination: Serves as the primary clinical contact for both the Client and Synteract project team members.
  • Study Team Liaison: Serves as the primary point of contact for the clinical study team.
  • Leadership and Communication: Provides leadership throughout and maintains effective communication at all times.
  • Collaborative Execution: Works in collaboration with Project Management and functional project leads in the execution of clinical trials.
  • Study Standards Definition: Defines and implements study-specific standards, goals, and expectations for the clinical study team.
  • Training Coordination: Coordinates, facilitates, and conducts training for clinical study teams.
  • Training Management: Addresses ongoing training needs throughout the study and ensures all trial-specific training is documented appropriately.
  • Timeline Management: Ensures completion of clinical activities within agreed timelines.
  • Budget Compliance: Ensures adherence to the Clinical portion of the project budget, identifies and consults with Project Management on clinical tasks that are out of scope.
  • Quality Oversight: Oversees the quality and ensures compliance with project specific plans for all clinical deliverables.

3. Clinical Supervisor Responsibilities

  • Risk Management: Works with Project Management to identify and mitigate associated risks.
  • Resource Allocation: Oversees site assignments and ensures clinical resources are continuously adequate.
  • External Meeting Participation: Participates in appropriate external study meetings, including both client and investigator meetings. Prepares and presents.
  • Meeting Leadership: Coordinates and leads clinical meetings. Prepares agenda and minutes.
  • Document Development: Develops and maintains clinical study documents, templates, plans, and manuals.
  • Tool Development and Oversight: Develops, maintains, and oversees trial-specific tools to support the clinical operations team.
  • Site Management: Maintains oversight of site selection and activation activities.
  • Tracking Supervision: Ensures appropriate tracking throughout.
  • Clinical Reporting: Effectively interprets and reports on clinical progress and associated metrics.
  • Interdisciplinary Team Leadership: Functions as a leader of an interdisciplinary team in planning and providing consumer care and program needs at the Center.

4. Clinical Supervisor Accountabilities

  • Clinical Integrity Management: Manages clinical integrity and reviews progress notes.
  • Supervision Provision: Provides virtual and in-person supervision.
  • Regulatory Compliance and Training: Ensures compliance with regulations and provides in-person training.
  • Crisis Response: Responds to any crisis event within an hour.
  • Clinical Guidance: Provides clinical guidance and support in developing interventions and supervising team members.
  • Direct Supervision: Provides direct supervision to case management and direct care staff, both in the office and in the field.
  • Clinical Teaching: Teaches and models clinical interventions, strength-based strategies, and ensures services are culturally competent for persons served.
  • Recovery Services Provision: Under the guidance of senior team leadership, provides recovery-based services focused on rehabilitation and each individual's preferences.
  • Intake Leadership: Leads the intake process for newly referred individuals, including performing assessments, obtaining authorizations, completing crisis plans, and beginning the process of person-centered care.
  • Clinical Interventions: Provides direct clinical interventions and adapts individuals' treatment plans.

5. Clinical Supervisor Functions

  • Clinical and Administrative Supervision: Provides clinical and administrative supervision to assigned clinicians.
  • HR Support: Assists in employee recruitment, selection, evaluation, and terminations.
  • Referral Management: Reviews all referrals for therapy and assigns them to the appropriate clinician.
  • Training and Consultation: Provides and participates in training and consultations.
  • Program Development and Marketing: Provides program development and marketing in the community.
  • Utilization Review Assistance: Assists with Utilization Review.
  • Emergency On-Call Duties: Provides on-call duties for emergency consultation/intervention to clients and therapists on a rotating basis after hours.
  • Policy Development: Assists in the research, planning, development, and implementation of clinical and administrative policies.
  • Regulatory Compliance: Participates in surveys, audits, and license reviews.
  • Emergency Consultation: Provides emergency consultation to clients and therapists in the absence of the Clinic Director.

6. Clinical Supervisor Job Description

  • Operations Management: Oversee all aspects of the day-to-day operations of the clinical department, establishing effective and efficient operations in accordance with Vanguard Medical Group standards.
  • Staff Management: Manage the clinical staff through hiring, orientation, training, and total performance management.
  • Staff Supervision: Supervise and coordinate all clinical staff and workflow, including delegating assignments and monitoring effectiveness to ensure best practices within the organization.
  • Staffing Coordination: Manage the staffing requirements for the practice, including evaluating staffing needs and participating in the hiring process.
  • Policy Update: Update clinical staff on policies and procedures essential for roles.
  • Privacy & Safety: Ensure privacy, confidentiality, and safety of patients and staff.
  • Inventory Management: Order and monitor all inventory and supplies and work with other sites to balance inventory.
  • Vendor Management: Manage vendor relationships.
  • Complaint Resolution: Investigate, document, and quickly resolve patient and staff complaints within the area of responsibility.
  • Work Environment Improvement: Ensure a positive work and care environment for staff and patients, respectively.
  • Adaptability & Data Management: Respond positively to changing circumstances, coordinate accurate calculation of patient acuity and workload (staffing) data, make assignments accordingly, and monitor clinical conditions.

7. Clinical Supervisor Overview

  • Payment Management: Review, approve, and track payments to vendor partners on behalf of the team.
  • Information Sharing: Share information with other Vanguard sites and participate in corporate-wide projects.
  • Liaison: Act as a liaison between clerical, clinical, and administrative staff.
  • Practice Improvement: Work hand in hand with all providers to improve practice operations and patient care.
  • Team Collaboration: Act as a team player to ensure that quality services are always provided.
  • Compliance Management: Manage OSHA and CLIA compliance, regulation updates, and provide associated in-service training, reports, and documentation.
  • Community Relations: Develop and maintain relationships with external community groups to understand local needs and develop proposals to meet those needs.
  • Outreach Coordination: Coordinate community outreach efforts, including community health clinics, physicals, and testing.
  • Software Competence: Maintain competence in computer and software systems, including but not limited to practice management and EHR systems.
  • Documentation Monitoring: Monitor clinical staff documentation and individual case records by periodically spot-checking case records from each staff member and ensure timely documentation of services.

8. Clinical Supervisor Details and Accountabilities

  • Staff Management: Recruits, hires, trains, coaches, and evaluates assigned staff and volunteers.
  • Interview Coordination: Organizes the panel hiring interview process when needed, in order to ensure a diverse and skilled staff team.
  • Supervision: Provides clinical and administrative supervision of assigned employees, interns, and volunteers.
  • Clinical Supervision: Maintains qualifications as an LMHC or LICSW approved Clinical Supervisor.
  • Policy Implementation: Helps implement the policies and procedures of the agency, including personnel, treatment services, and records.
  • Performance Appraisal: Prepares written Performance Appraisals annually for supervisees.
  • Supervision Meetings: Conducts regular individual supervision, weekly team triage meetings, and staff meetings for all clinical personnel to discuss matters pertaining to treatment issues, policies and procedures, case management, and staff relations.
  • Policy Updates: Assists the Clinical Director in updating policies and procedures to meet contract requirements.
  • Technical Assistance: Provides technical assistance and case consultation to staff by fielding calls and teaming on in-person outreaches during business hours and after hours.

9. Clinical Supervisor Tasks

  • Staff Management: Selects, schedules, assigns, and evaluates staff.
  • Performance Feedback: Provides feedback on performance on an ongoing basis, as well as providing an annual written performance review.
  • Staff Orientation & Training: Orients new staff and ensures that training and education needs are met.
  • Staff Scheduling: Approves the final weekly staffing schedule for medical assistants.
  • Mentoring & Coaching: Mentors and coaches new and existing staff.
  • Education Meetings: Ensures scheduling of regular in-service education meetings for medical assistants.
  • Workflow Analysis: Analyzes the workflow of clinics and provides feedback/modifications.
  • Disciplinary Coordination: Coordinates with Human Resources to provide disciplinary action.
  • Department Meetings: Prepares and leads routine department meetings.
  • Conflict Mediation: Mediates conflict between staff members, coordinates with Director and HR.
  • Committee Participation: Serves on committees and attends meetings related to clinical operations.

10. Clinical Supervisor Roles

  • Program Oversight: Oversees all aspects of Sanctuary for Families' Children and Family Services program at the Queens Family Justice Center.
  • Supervision: Provides clinical and administrative supervision of counselors, program coordinators, student interns, and volunteers, as well as oversees the Children's Room and all additional programming.
  • Referral Coordination: Coordinates internal and external referrals to the Children and Family Services program at the Family Justice Center and assigns cases.
  • Program Collaboration: Collaborates closely with other Sanctuary for Families programs at the Queens Family Justice Center.
  • Family Assessments: Conducts family assessments for children referred for counseling.
  • Individual Counseling: Provides individual counseling to a caseload of children and teens who have witnessed domestic violence.
  • Group Facilitation: Develops and facilitates children's support groups and child-centered psycho-educational groups for parents.
  • Advocacy & Referrals: Makes referrals and provides advocacy for children and families.
  • Intervention Development: Develops appropriate interventions to meet clients' varying needs.
  • Training & Outreach: Develops and provides training and community outreach.
Relevant Information
What Does A Clinical Director Do?
What Does A Clinical Specialist Do?
What Does A Clinical Therapist Do?