Supervision
Every member must hold a supervision arrangement, at every designation, for as long as they see clients. It is not a training phase that ends at admission, and seniority does not retire it; it changes only its form.
Who may supervise you
HICS supervision is structured case consultation: the supervisor works through the supervisee’s caseload with them, the decisions taken, the actions and recommendations made, the risks carried, individually, in a group, or in a peer group. It does not require the supervisor to sit in on the member’s live client sessions.
Supervision must be provided by one of three kinds of supervisor:
For the 200 supervised hours required for admission, an external supervisor needs a minimum of five years in practice and must adhere to the Code.
At every renewal your supervisor confirms that supervision took place; that confirmation is not a warranty of your competence or conduct.
The requirement
The requirement differs by designation. Each designation page carries the full picture: Accredited Counsellor, Accredited Senior Counsellor and the supervisor authorisation.
| Designation | Requirement | Sign-off |
|---|---|---|
| DesignationHICS Accredited Counsellor | RequirementAt least 3 hours every quarter (12 a year), plus ad hoc supervision for difficult or high-risk cases | Sign-offSupervisor, at renewal |
| DesignationHICS Accredited Senior Counsellor | RequirementAt least 3 hours every quarter (12 a year), plus ad hoc supervision; peer supervision is acceptable at this designation | Sign-offSupervisor or peer declaration, at renewal |
| DesignationHICS Accredited Supervisor (add-on authorisation) | RequirementOwn practice: at least 3 hours every quarter (12 a year), plus ad hoc. Supervisory practice: at least once a quarter, plus ad hoc, with a Supervisor-Supervisor | Sign-offSupervisor for your own practice, and Supervisor-Supervisor for your supervisory practice, at renewal |
Ad hoc supervision is expected over and above the scheduled hours whenever a case is difficult or high-risk.
A Supervisor-Supervisor is a supervisor authorised to supervise supervisors.
Children and adolescents
If you counsel clients under 18, that part of your caseload must be supervised by a supervisor authorised by HICS in child and adolescent work. You may hold a different supervisor for the rest of your practice. The field's full conditions are on the children and adolescents page.
Lapse
Supervision, completed and signed off, is a condition of every renewal; the conditions of retaining membership are set out in full on their own page.
Becoming a supervisor
The HICS Accredited Supervisor authorisation is an add-on to Accredited Senior Counsellor standing, which must be current and held for at least one year. The training standard, the portfolio and the recommendation are on the Accredited Supervisor page.
Finding a supervisor
The HICS Approved Supervisor Directory lists every supervisor HICS has approved onto it. No supervisor is on it yet, because no member has been admitted and none has been approved; each appears on it from the day HICS approves them.
An external supervisor approved by HICS is a route in its own right, and the one open today.