Counselors-in-training are seeking to build a foundation of their practice. They are seeking to build their theoretical orientation, their treatment modalities, skills, and ethical guidelines. In building this foundation, there needs to be clear and supportive supervision, to guide the new clinician into providing the best possible services for their clients that align with the education and professor supervision they receive. 

The issue of LCSWs being able to supervise LPCs in training, is the LCSWs have different education, training and expertise. Whereas the focus of an LCSWs training is holistic and advocacy based offering a more broad set of skills, the LPCs is more focused on honing their skills with a clients psyche and mental health. In my opinion, the differing professional approaches and viewpoints could lead to misunderstandings or confusion in the supervision process, which might ultimately hinder the LPC in their professional development. They may be more confused or unsure which scope of practices to incorporate or how to conceptualize a client. This could cause issues with a clinician developing their professional identity. It could also harm clients if the clinician uses conflicting skills or conceptualizations.

It could be argued that after LPC receives training  from a licensed LPC supervisor to establish a foundation, obtaining new perspectives through LCSW supervision could be beneficial. I see that more as a supplement to the education, rather than LCSW being at the core of creating the basis of the new clinician. LCSW’s might offer clinicians a broader view to think about the client within their systems and environments, good insight into the world of client advocacy at a larger scale, increased community resources, and improved understanding of mental health systems.

As someone currently in training to become a counselor and starting a residency soon, my personal experience working in mental health services under the supervision of an LCSW has influenced my perspective. While I have learned important concepts and skills, the suggestions I received were often very different from my own conceptualizations and approaches as an LPC-in-training. This discrepancy sometimes left me feeling conflicted, as I wanted to follow my supervisor's suggestions, yet they did not align with my education, leading to feelings of insecurity and self-doubt about my practice regarding doing the “right” thing.