Kansas social-work advisory committee adopts supervisory guidance to clarify clinical supervision

Cochair Cynthia Schendel announced the committee adopted a revised clinical supervision guidance document at its Aug. 12 meeting to provide sample forms and clearer expectations for clinical supervision.

The advisory committee, which helps the Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board (BSRB), approved the guidance after a review of recurrent application and documentation errors cited by licensing staff. David Fye, executive director of the BSRB, and assistant director Leslie Allen explained staff had worked with committee members and legal counsel to ensure the guidance does not create new legal requirements but offers practical examples for supervision contracts, session documentation, and reconciliation procedures.

Committee members said the guidance aims to prevent common pitfalls that delay or block clinical licensure, such as missing signed logs, inconsistent supervisor documentation, or supervisees being unable to locate early session records. "One of the most basic things is documentation of every session and what was discussed," a committee member said during the meeting. Staff emphasized the document is guidance and not regulation or mandatory forms.

The motion to adopt the guidance was made by Anis Boyer and seconded; the committee voted in favor and asked staff to publish the material on the BSRB website. Leslie Allen said she would ask staff to post the document immediately.

The guidance will be available on the BSRB advisory-committee materials page for supervisors and supervisees to reference. The committee recommended members who supervise maintain consistent logs and reconcile signatures after each session to reduce later licensing disputes. The committee also noted it will continue reviewing supervision-related survey responses at a future meeting, and the guidance may be updated based on additional feedback.