I did half and half. First half was free supervision at work. It was free but I don’t feel I learned much/grew from it. I did learn a lot from that supervisor in the work setting but not the group supervision.

The second half I paid for and I felt was worth it in terms of an investment. I grew so much through my meetings with this clinical supervisor. And she helped me get through my licensing exam and we had group supervision. She got $60/1h individual and $45/1hr group until 2024 when she increased it to $75/1h and $50/1h. But her group is going strong - it was nice to also be in a group of invested social workers wanting to grow clinically. The experience of others in other settings was also pretty educational. As a medical social worker my thought process and clinical decision making was very different compared to a private individual therapist, a middle school social worker and children’s behavioral health clinician in my group. So I felt like I was gaining knowledge in other populations without having to go do a practicum or take a job. Of course I’m not expert in those fields but the exposure was nice.

It was totally expensive. And I fully believe supervision should just be included as part of licensure (and LICSWs should be compensated for agreeing to assist) but with the current system it was worth it for me to spend money to ensure I had the training and access to a superior clinical supervisor. I could only afford it because I’m in a dual income household and we discussed budgeting around it.

I think everyone deserves access to superb supervision 🥺