A free practical checklist for counsellors to help them choose a Clinical Supervisor. Includes current ACA and PACFA supervision requirements (current as at September 2026).
Supervision is more than a membership requirement. The ACA describes it as a formal, contractual arrangement in which counsellors reflect on their practice and discuss professional issues in a safe environment, and it names a Registered Supervisor as a counsellor’s first port of call for professional issues (ACA, 2024). PACFA describes supervision as a primary means of ensuring continued professional and ethical practice (PACFA, 2017).
The relationship itself matters too. Research with psychotherapy trainees found that 97.2% reported withholding at least some information from their supervisors (Ladany et al., 1996). Later research found that a stronger supervisory working alliance was associated with greater willingness to disclose in supervision (Mehr et al., 2015). These studies were conducted mainly with trainees in the United States, but the message is relevant at any career stage: supervision works best with someone you trust enough to be honest with.
This checklist will help you work out what you need, confirm that a supervisor meets your association’s requirements, and decide whether they are the right fit for you.
How to use this checklist
Work through Steps 1 and 2 before you start contacting supervisors. Use Steps 3 to 5 during an introductory conversation, then compare your options in Step 7.