Online supervision with Dr. Emily Fornwalt, PhD, LPC, board-approved supervisor
Clinical Supervision for LPC Residents in Virginia
You’re All Done with School. Now You’re A Resident in Counseling, with 3,400 hours ahead of you.
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.
Maybe you just registered with the Virginia Board of Counseling and got your Resident in Counseling designation. Maybe you’re mid-residency and your current supervision setup isn’t working. Maybe you’re about to start your first counseling job in Richmond or Virginia Beach or Arlington or Charlottesville and you’re trying to line up supervision before your start date.
Whatever brought you here, you need a board-approved supervisor, and your supervision contract has to be registered with the Board before you begin accumulating hours. The quality of that supervision shapes what kind of clinician you become over the next two to three years. You cannot afford to get this one wrong.
You’ve heard the stories. The supervisor who signs off on hours without engaging with your work. The one who’s board-approved but seems to forget who their residents are between sessions. The one who’s never available when you need to consult on a crisis.
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. Someone you feel safe enough with to share your mistakes without being shamed.
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 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.
Virginia’s residency requirements for Counselors
Virginia calls pre-licensed counselors “Residents in Counseling.” Your supervisor must be board-approved, and the supervision contract must be in place before you begin accumulating hours toward licensure.
The numbers look like this:
You need a minimum of 3,400 hours of supervised experience, of which at least 2,000 must be face-to-face client contact.
You need 200 hours of supervision, with at least 100 of those hours provided by a Licensed Professional Counselor (which I am).
Supervision must occur at a minimum rate of one hour per 40 hours of work. The residency period must span at least 21 months and no more than 4 years.
I’m licensed as LPC in Virginia (#0701013449) and I meet the Virginia Board of Counseling’s requirements to supervise LPC Residents. Hours with me count toward the full 200-hour supervision requirement.
“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 neurobiologically-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 Virginia’s requirements. Virginia requires supervisors to complete supervision-specific training through either graduate coursework or 20 hours of continuing education. I’ve completed much more than that. 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 agency 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 Virginia
I provide online supervision for Residents in Counseling across Virginia, including Richmond, Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Arlington, Alexandria, Hampton, Newport News, Roanoke, Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Suffolk, Fredericksburg, Harrisonburg, and throughout the rest of the state.
Virginia’s geography makes telehealth supervision especially practical. If you’re working in Southwest Virginia, on the Eastern Shore, or in the Northern Virginia DC-adjacent corridor, you shouldn’t have to drive two hours to meet with a supervisor. Online 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 and practicing since 2007.
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.
Virginia licensure FAQs
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Yes. I hold the LPC license in Virginia (#0701013449) and meet the Virginia Board of Counseling’s supervisor qualifications. Hours with me count toward the full 200-hour supervision requirement, including the minimum 100 hours that must be with an LPC.
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You need 60 graduate credit hours completed in counseling or psychology, followed by an interview and supervision contract with an approved LPC supervisor. The Supervisor Approval Application for LPC is submitted to the Virginia Board of Counseling, and you must receive Board approval before beginning supervised practice.
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You need a minimum of 3,400 hours of supervised experience, with at least 2,000 hours of face-to-face client contact. You need 200 supervision hours total, with at least 100 of those provided by a Licensed Professional Counselor. Supervision must occur at a rate of at least one hour per every 40 hours of work.
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Your residency period must span at least 21 months and no more than 4 years.
Most residents complete the process in 2-3 years, depending on full-time or part-time schedule.
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Yes. Some residents work with one primary supervisor and add a second for specialty case consultation. You’d have a separate supervision arrangement for each.
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Virginia signed onto the Counseling Compact in 2022. The Compact allows eligible licensed professional counselors to practice in member states without multiple licenses, though implementation details are still being finalized across member jurisdictions.
For residency specifically, you still need to complete supervision under Virginia’s specific requirements.