How to Serve as a Clinical Supervisor in Virginia as a Licensed Psychologist

If you're a licensed psychologist in Virginia aiming to serve as a clinical supervisor, this guide will walk you through every step of the process. We’ll cover the official Virginia clinical supervisor requirements, outline continuing education (CE) obligations, and highlight pitfalls to avoid. With a clear understanding of state board rules, you'll be well-equipped to supervise postdoctoral residents confidently and compliantly. We'll also explore how the Telehealth Certification Institute (TCI) can support your ongoing supervision training and CE needs.

🧑‍🏫 Supervisor Eligibility Requirements

To serve as a clinical supervisor for postdoctoral psychology residents in Virginia, you must meet the Virginia Board of Psychology’s eligibility criteria. According to the Virginia Administrative Code (18VAC125-20-65), the key requirements are as follows:

• Hold an Unrestricted Clinical Psychology License: The supervisor must be a licensed psychologist in good standing. You need a current, unrestricted license in the jurisdiction where supervision occurs, and it must be in the same licensure category that the resident is pursuing (i.e. a clinical psychologist license to supervise a clinical psychology resident).
  Source: 18VAC125-20-65 – Clause B.6

• Supervise Only Within Your Competence: You may only supervise in areas where you have demonstrable competence. This means you should not oversee techniques or populations outside your training and experience. Virginia’s rules explicitly state that “The supervisor shall neither provide supervision for activities beyond the supervisor's demonstrable areas of competence nor for activities for which the applicant has not had appropriate education and training.”
  Source: 18VAC125-20-65 – Clause B.7

• Board Pre-Approval of Supervision (Registration): Do not begin supervising until the arrangement is approved by the Board. Virginia requires that any post-degree supervised residency must be registered with the Board of Psychology before supervision starts. The supervisor and resident must submit a supervisory contract and a registration form (with the required fee and an official transcript for the resident) to the Board for approval. Supervised experience obtained in Virginia without prior written board approval will not be accepted toward licensure – meaning no supervision hours will count retroactively. Be sure the Board has approved your supervisory contract in advance of the resident’s start date.
  Source: 18VAC125-20-65 – Clauses B.2 & B.3

• Meet Required Supervision Frequency: You must provide a minimum amount of supervision relative to the resident’s work hours. Virginia’s regulation requires the equivalent of at least 2 hours of individual supervision for every 40 hours of supervised practice. Of those, at least 1 hour must be one-on-one, individual supervision. The second hour (if applicable) can be group supervision, with the rule that two hours of group supervision counts as one hour of individual supervision. (Group supervision can include up to five residents at a time.) In practical terms, to meet the standard, supervisors typically provide 2 hours of supervision per 40 hours of a resident’s work, with at least one of those hours being individual face-to-face supervision.
  Source: 18VAC125-20-65 – Clause B.5

• Oversight and Documentation Responsibilities: A Virginia-qualified supervisor has specific duties to oversee the resident’s work and keep records. You must maintain documentation of the supervision provided and regularly review and co-sign the resident’s case notes or records. The Board also requires the supervisor to submit a final evaluation report of the resident’s performance at the end of the residency. This means keeping careful logs of supervision hours, topics discussed, and the resident’s progress throughout the training period. Proper documentation ensures the resident’s hours will count and provides evidence that you fulfilled your supervisory role under the rules.
  Source: 18VAC125-20-65 – Clause B.8

🎓 Ongoing Continuing Education Requirements

One common question is what continuing education is required to be or remain a supervisor. The good news is that Virginia does not impose any supervision-specific CE hours for psychologists acting as supervisors. In other words, there are no extra courses you must take solely for supervisor status. Supervisors only need to meet the standard annual CE requirements that apply to all licensed clinical psychologists in Virginia.

According to 18VAC125-20-121 (the Virginia Board’s CE rule for license renewal), a licensed psychologist in Virginia must complete the following each year to renew an active license:

• 14 hours of continuing education each year, from Board-approved providers. (Up to 7 excess hours can carry over to the next year if you earn more than 14 in one year.)

• At least 1.5 hours in ethics, laws, or regulations relevant to the practice of psychology. This can include courses on ethical practice, Virginia mental health law, or regulatory guidelines.

• At least 6 hours in face-to-face or real-time interactive learning. “Real-time interactive” means you must have the ability to interact with the presenter (for example, live webinars or in-person workshops qualify, whereas pure recorded self-study would not count toward these 6 hours).

These requirements apply to all licensed psychologists, including those supervising residents. There are no additional CE hours required specifically for being a supervisor. As long as you fulfill your normal license renewal CEs (which include ethics and some live training), you will satisfy Virginia’s expectations.
Source: Virginia Administrative Code 18VAC125-20-121. Continuing education course requirements for renewal of an active license.

💡 Pitfalls to Avoid

Even when you meet the official Virginia clinical supervisor requirements, a few missteps can cause a resident’s hours to be denied. Watch out for:

• Failing to Register Supervision with the Board
  If the supervisory contract and registration aren’t approved before the residency starts, those hours won’t count toward licensure.
  Fix: Submit the contract, fee, and degree documentation and wait for Board approval before logging any hours.

• Poor Supervision Documentation
  Missing supervision logs or unsigned case notes can lead the Board to question whether supervision occurred as required.
  Fix: Keep a dated supervision log and routinely co-sign notes and evaluations.

• Not Meeting Supervision Frequency/Format
  Providing less than 2 hours of supervision per 40 hours of work—or less than 1 hour of individual supervision—can invalidate hours. Group supervision also has limits (no more than five residents; 2 hours group = 1 hour individual).
  Fix: Schedule regular weekly supervision to meet the ratio and use group supervision only within the rules.

• Supervisor Not Qualified at the Time of Supervision
  If your license lapses or you supervise outside your competency, the resident’s hours may not be accepted.
  Fix: Keep your license active, complete required CE, and only supervise services within your documented areas of expertise (or transfer/consult when needed).

By staying on top of registration, documentation, supervision frequency, and your own qualifications, you greatly reduce the risk of a resident’s hours being disallowed.

📘 How the Telehealth Certification Institute Helps You

Serving as a clinical supervisor is a significant responsibility – and while Virginia doesn’t require special “supervisor training” beyond your license, you may still want additional education to excel in this role. This is where the Telehealth Certification Institute (TCI) can assist. TCI provides high-quality continuing education courses (CEs) that can strengthen your supervision skills while helping you meet your general Virginia LP license renewal CE requirements.

Recommended Courses

• 15 CE Clinical Supervision Training Bundle
  Virginia allows up to 8 of the required 14 CE hours per year to be completed through self-study. Our 15-CE Clinical Supervision Training Bundle fulfills and exceeds this requirement by offering 15 hours of on-demand supervision training—more than enough to meet the 8-hour self-study limit each renewal year while deepening your skills in ethics, telesupervision, and supervision methods.

• Live Webinars
  Because Virginia requires at least 6 of the 14 CE hours to be completed through live, real-time interactive learning, you can use TCI’s live webinars to meet this requirement. Our supervision-focused live trainings let you earn interactive CE hours while asking questions in real time and engaging with expert instructors and peers.

• Clinical Supervision Certificate Program
  For a more comprehensive option, TCI’s Clinical Supervision Certificate Program offers approximately 49 CE hours covering core supervision competencies—ethics, multicultural responsiveness, telesupervision, supervision models, evaluation, and more. The program fulfills and exceeds Virginia’s 8-hour self-study limit and helps you significantly improve your supervisory skills, while also contributing to your overall annual CE requirements.

• Individual Clinical Supervision CE Courses
  If you’re looking for targeted training on a specific topic, you can browse our catalog of individual clinical supervision CE courses and select exactly what you need—whether that’s supervision ethics, telehealth-focused supervision, working with high-risk cases, or strengthening your feedback and evaluation skills.

🤝 Free Clinical Supervision Forum

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🌟 Why Choose TCI for Your Training?

• ✅ Trusted by thousands of behavioral health professionals nationwide
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⚠️ Disclaimer

“The information provided in this article is for general educational purposes only and is not intended as legal advice. Licensing and supervision requirements may change, and interpretations may vary. It is the responsibility of each individual to verify the current rules and qualifications directly with their state licensing authority.”

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Take the next step in your career by serving as a clinical supervisor in Virginia. 👉 Browse our individual supervision CE courses to find the training that’s right for you, and help shape the future of the profession — supervise with confidence!