Online supervision with Dr. Emily Fornwalt, PhD, LPC-MHSP, approved clinical supervisor
Clinical Supervision for LPC and LPC-MHSP Licensure in Tennessee
Here you are. All done with school.
On the one hand, you know you know some stuff. On the other, you wonder if you actually know nothing. You’re confident one moment and self-doubting the next. All in a day’s work.
Somewhere between Nashville and Knoxville, or in Memphis or Chattanooga or Murfreesboro, you’re staring down the next 2-3 years of accumulating hours and trying to figure out who’s going to supervise you through it.
You’ve heard the stories...the supervisor who just signs off on hours without looking at your work. The one who’s critical in a way that leaves you dreading Wednesdays. The one whose schedule is so packed you can never actually consult on a crisis.
You’ve read enough Reddit threads and talked to enough friends further along in licensure to know that bad supervision is a real thing, and you don’t want to be the next cautionary tale.
You want someone who will tell you the truth about your work without making you feel like a fraud, someone with the right balance of support and challenge, and someone you feel safe enough with to share your mistakes without being shamed.
Even if you’ve never had a hard experience in supervision, that support-and-challenge balance is an important one.
Here’s what I can tell you about working with me: I’ll tell you the truth about your work, and I’ll do it without making you feel small. I’ll challenge you when it matters, and I’ll support you when that’s what you need. That’s what supervision should look like.
“What’s Supervision Like With You, EMily?”
Pull up a chair.
In LPC and LPC-MHSP supervision with me, power is shared, and we both contribute to the work.
And the process is useless when it’s not rooted in a trusting and supportive relationship.
If you can’t show me a recording of your worst moments in a session, how can we help you grow into the therapist you want to be?
That kind of safety doesn’t grow by chance. It takes time and attention.
I’ll take time to get to know you and what works for you in supervision.
We’ll talk about our intersectional identities and how those might influence our work together, as well as your work with clients.
I’ll help you notice what you’re doing well and what you can invite yourself to try differently.
We might try an online sandtray or a drawing when words fail you. I love creative approaches.
Now, you might be asking yourself, “You said collaboration, too, Emily. What does that look like?”
I believe we both bring something to the table when we meet. You will always have expertise about your client and what’s happening in the room that I cannot have. I respect that, and we’ll use it.
I’ll ask you what’s helping and what’s not, and we’ll make changes accordingly.
I’ll invite you to brainstorm with me. When you’re drawing a blank, I’ll brainstorm and invite you to note what lands for you.
We work together to support your growth, adjusting over time as you gain skill and confidence.
The Tennessee licensure path is specific, and your supervision should reflect that
Tennessee distinguishes between LPC and LPC-MHSP, and the difference matters for your practice. The LPC allows you to provide counseling for general life issues and concerns. The LPC-MHSP allows you to diagnose and treat mental health disorders. If you want to work with anxiety, depression, PTSD, or anything that qualifies for a DSM diagnosis, you need the MHSP designation.
Here’s what the numbers look like on your end:
3,000 total hours of post-masters practice. 1,500 of those need to be direct client contact. The other 1,500 are clinically-related activities like training, documentation, and case planning.
On top of that, you need 150 supervision hours, 50 of which can be group if you choose to use group supervision.
For LPC-MHSP specifically, 75 of your supervision hours must be with a supervisor who holds the LPC-MHSP license.
I’m an approved supervisor in Tennessee, licensed as LPC-MHSP (#5318), which means your hours with me count toward both LPC and LPC-MHSP licensure.
“What stuff do you know, Emily?”
My clinical experience:
I have specific expertise in working with trauma, children and young people, and parents (including supporting caregivers of LGBTQ+ kiddos). I am a Registered Play Therapy Supervisor (RPT-S) and an Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS).
I’m well-versed in parent-child approaches, including child-parent relationship therapy.
I’ve worked with trauma in many forms over the years and have taught several classes focused on teaching counselors-in-training how to work with trauma.
I approach trauma in a neurobiology-informed way. Many of the things experienced by trauma survivors are not signs of “brokenness” but signs of the brain doing what it needs to best protect your client. Even if you don’t think you want to be a trauma therapist, you will absolutely be presented with trauma in your work.
I’m well-versed in attachment theory and can use this to support your work with individuals seeking increased satisfaction in relationships. An attachment lens can be applied to romantic, sexual, familial, and friendship relationships.
What makes my supervision different:
Academic background. I have a PhD in counseling from UNC Charlotte and have taught in several master’s-level counseling programs. That teaching background matters here because it means I can walk you through the why behind what I’m asking you to try, not just the what.
Training that exceeds Tennessee’s requirements. Tennessee requires supervisors to complete 12 contact hours of supervision training. I’ve done that and a whole lot more. I hold the Approved Clinical Supervisor credential through the Center for Credentialing and Education, and I’ve completed supervision-of-supervision training, which means I’ve been trained in how to train supervisors. That specific layer of training is rare.
Broad supervisee experience. I’ve worked with both clinical mental health counselors and school counselors, in post-masters employment and during their internships. I’ve supervised people working with clients across the full age range.
“So, who will I be when we’re done, Emily?”
Wow, that’s quite a question. Honestly, I don’t know exactly who you’ll be.
But I know you’ll be different.
Self-advocacy skills. Sometimes the system is hard. I want you to know when to speak up for yourself and set a boundary (like when your front desk assigns you a client you don’t have the training to work with).
Stronger clinical skills. Knowing when to use a specific intervention, how to conceptualize a case to best support your client, so you can do things like talk to a psychiatrist or a school, write a report for a court hearing, or run a family session.
Your actual theoretical orientation. Not a vague gesture at eclecticism, but a real answer to the question “how do I think change happens in therapy?” We’ll have helped you determine what you believe, so you’re more confident about what you’re choosing to do in session.
How to talk to parents or caregivers without violating your client’s confidentiality, if you work with children or teens.
How to really look at yourself as a therapist and what you’re bringing to the table that may or may not be helpful. Dealing with transference and countertransference. Knowing when you need peer support (“hey colleague, can we talk for a sec?”) versus consultation with someone more senior.
How to use creativity, humor, and playfulness with clients and not force yourself to be the blank slate you may have been taught to be. That’s not a thing. Learn how and when to use self-disclosure.
Identifying what you’re already good at and using those strengths to grow in the areas you want to grow in.
Self-compassion. My supervisees are often harder on themselves than I would ever be. I always work to increase self-compassion, because this makes you a better therapist. You’ll be more present because you’re not in your head critiquing everything you’re doing or saying. You’ll connect with your clients in a way that makes a huge difference.
Who I work with in Tennessee
I provide online supervision for pre-licensed counselors across Tennessee, including Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Clarksville, Murfreesboro, Franklin, Johnson City, Jackson, Hendersonville, Kingsport, Brentwood, Spring Hill, Smyrna, Bartlett, Collierville, and throughout the rest of the state.
Whether you’re in a community mental health setting, a private practice as a temporary licensee, a school counseling position, or a hospital, telehealth supervision fits into your schedule without adding a commute to an already demanding residency.
i’m Emily.
About dr. emily fornwalt
I’m a PhD-level therapist with a doctorate in counseling from UNC Charlotte. I’ve been licensed since 2007 and have been supervising post-masters counselors for over a decade.
I’m a Level II AEDP therapist with training in interpersonal neurobiology, advanced training and certification in play therapy, Board Certified in TeleMental Health, and a National Certified Counselor.
If you’d like to learn more about me than can fit in a short blurb, please explore the link below.
Tennessee licensure FAQs
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There are a couple of ways to be licensed as LPC/MHSP in Tennessee.
If you are not licensed in any other state and have not done a graduate degree in counseling, the first step to getting licensed as a counselor is to attend a graduate program in counseling and get a masters degree.
Many states require that the program be accredited by CACREP, the organization that manages standards for counselor education programs and ensures that they all meet a minimum set of criteria. Even though Tennessee does not explicitly state this, the requirements are in alignment with the CACREP standards.
If you know that you want to get your LPC/MHSP as opposed to your LPC, you can apply for temporary licensure as LPC/MHSP.
This requires completion of a graduate program, passing the NCE, and a signed and notarized document from your supervisor.
Tennessee requires that supervisors meet certain requirements, and some supervisors, like me, have registered with TN as approved supervisors.
In order to be granted a full LPC/MHSP, you will need 3,000 total practice hours, of which 1,500 must be direct client contact and 1,500 are clinically-related activities (such as training, advocacy, and other client support).
During the accrual of those hours, you must also accumulate 150 supervision hours. Of those 150 hours, 50 can be in a group of 3-8 people, the others must be individual or triadic (two supervisees and a supervisor).
You do not have to use group supervision, but it’s an option.
For LPC/MHSP, 75 of your hours must be with a supervisor with the LPC/MHSP license.
One thing to notice about LPC/MHSP supervision requirements is that, if you only do one hour per week of practice, it will take you three years, but Tennessee will allow you to accumulate those hours and be licensed in two years if you have the right amount of supervision and practice hours.
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You must have 150 supervision hours, 50 of which can be group if you choose.
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The difference is in scope of practice.
LPCs in Tennessee can provide counseling, but it is limited to general life issues and concerns. LPC/MHSPs in Tennessee can do that, as well as diagnose and treat mental health disorders.
While both can practice independently, Tennessee requires that an LPC practicing independently refer out to an LPC/MHSP if they believe someone qualifies for a DSM diagnosis.
For more information, you can access the licensure fact sheet here.
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How much does a LPC MHSP make in Tennessee?
A lot of this will depend on location within Tennessee and setting.
The median annual salary for counselors in Tennessee was $45,490.
This job is predicted to grow faster than average in the future.
This is a great place to research and explore salaries and information for your particular area.
It’s important to note that this data combines mental health counselors with similar professionals.
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Yes and no. Like much of counseling, this is not a simple answer.
The word counselor itself is not a protected term. However, calling oneself a licensed counselor is protected. This means you cannot represent yourself as a licensed counselor unless you are one recognized by the board in that state.
You also cannot provide mental health counseling unless you are authorized to do so in the state you’re in.
There are other professionals who do counseling (think spiritual or religious leaders), but licensed professional counselor is a specific term, the permitted use of which is outlined in state statutes and laws.
In Tennessee, the protected term is “Licensed Professional Counselor.” There are also certified counselor designations. It is unlawful to represent oneself in this manner if you are not certified or licensed.
These terms are often very specifically and clearly defined in statutes you can access from the board website.
Someone with a masters degree that would qualify them to be licensed in Tennessee as a counselor can practice counseling under supervision.
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Tennessee does have LPC reciprocity, as well as LPC/MHSP reciprocity. You can check with the board to determine if your state meets the qualifications.
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It depends. You must practice for a minimum of two years supervised to get your LPC or LPC/MHSP.
However, if you do your supervision at a rate of one hour per week on average, it will take three years to get an LPC/MHSP.
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To work with a client located in Tennessee, you must be licensed in Tennessee. Telehealth laws and rules vary by state. If you are working with a Tennessee client from out of state, you may also need to be licensed in the state where you are practicing at the time.
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To be granted licensure as an LPC in Tennessee, you need 100 hours of supervision.