Section VI

On Keeping the Note

If it isn't written down, it didn't happen. Accurate supervision notes protect the client, the supervisee, and the supervisor — in that order.

Open journal and pen on a warm paper surface — Fig. 2 — The Working Journal

The supervision case note is the visible record of a largely invisible practice. It documents what was discussed, what was decided, what was learned, and what was left undone. It is the artifact that lets a future clinician, a licensing board, or a court reconstruct what a supervisor actually did — not what they meant to do.

I write my note within 24 hours of the session, while affect and detail are still available. The note names client cases discussed in de-identified form, documents any risk conversation and its resolution, records feedback given and received, and states the plan for the coming week. Where a supervisee's development is a concern, I note it in the moment — not for the first time in a summative evaluation.

Notes live on an encrypted, access-controlled system and are retained for the period required by Georgia rule and the setting's records policy. The supervisee has the right to see their own notes and does — on request and at each formal review.

§11

A Sample Note

Supervisee: J.M., LAPC (initials)Date: 04 March 2026Session: #12 · Individual · 60 minModality: In-person

Cases discussed: Client A (adult, GAD); Client B (adolescent, family conflict, low-lethality SI screen).
Focus areas: Suicide risk assessment with Client B; treatment planning for Client A; countertransference around parent contact.
Interventions used: Reviewed recorded segment (Client A, 11-min); role-played C-SSRS with Client B script; conceptual intervention (IDM) around supervisee's reactivity to Client B's mother.
Risk / ethical items: Client B: no plan/intent/means; safety plan reviewed and documented in client chart. No mandated reports required. No boundary concerns.
Feedback given: Strength: warmth, pacing with Client A. Growth edge: pursuing risk with Client B beyond first "no." Modeled follow-up prompts.
Supervisee response: Received feedback openly; identified anxiety about the parent contact. Agreed to consult prior to the next session.
Plan for next week: Submit updated treatment plan for Client A; bring 10-min segment from Client B session; review Georgia mandated-reporting timelines.
Alliance check: Brief WAI-S check verbally: supervisee reports high alliance; no ruptures noted.

Signed: Cady E. Barbour, M.A., LAPC, NCC — 04 March 2026