Clinical Supervision in DC and Maryland for Social Workers
You’ve earned your MSW, and the supervision you choose next shapes the clinician you become. Clinical supervision at Life Migration Therapy is one-to-one supervision for LGSW clinicians in DC and LMSW clinicians in Maryland earning independent licensure hours, with a supervisor who understands the communities you serve.
Individual supervision with Charika White at Life Migration Therapy, $90 per hour. Board-approved in DC and Maryland. Accepting new supervisees.
Supervision that shapes how you practice.
I’m Charika White, LICSW, LCSW-C, and I provide individual clinical supervision for social workers earning clinical social work licensure hours in Washington, DC and Maryland. I bring clinical expertise and lived experience as a queer Black immigrant woman from the Caribbean.
My approach centers cultural responsiveness that goes beyond awareness. We look at when diagnostic practices reflect bias rather than clinical necessity, because over-diagnosing or under-diagnosing Black and brown clients perpetuates systems that pathologize normal responses to abnormal circumstances.
I know what it means to navigate mental health spaces that weren’t designed for you or the communities you serve. That understanding informs every session, whether we’re working through a challenging case, reviewing documentation, or exploring how your identity shows up in the room.
More about Charika →Culturally responsive, not culturally aware.
Many supervisors can acknowledge that culture matters. Few can walk you through the nuanced ways Eurocentric diagnostic frameworks cause harm, and what to do about it clinically.
Clinical accuracy first
We examine when a client’s response to systemic oppression gets misdiagnosed as individual pathology, and build treatment approaches that honor resilience instead of pathologizing survival strategies.
Grounded in the communities you serve
If your caseload includes LGBTQ+ clients, immigrants, or Black adults navigating ongoing systemic stress, your supervision should treat those realities as part of the clinical work, never a distraction from it.
Flexible and well documented
You choose the rhythm that fits your clinical schedule. Whether you work in community mental health, a university counseling center, or private practice, sessions support your professional growth and every hour is documented with its date, length, and focus.
$90 per hour. Three steps to begin.
An introductory rate for clinicians building their supervised practice hours. The investment in quality supervision pays forward through your whole career: this is where your clinical skills, confidence, and approach take shape. Supervision here is individual only, so you get the individualized attention that actually grows you as a clinician.
- Book a complimentary consultation. We’ll talk through your supervision needs, where you are in your hours, and how we’d structure sessions.
- Get the paperwork in order first. Maryland requires Board approval and a written contract before supervision begins, and DC asks for a supervision plan filed with your application. I’ll help you get it right.
- Begin regular sessions. You bring cases, questions, and challenges. I bring guidance, honest feedback, and records that hold up with the Board.
Your supervisor shapes the clinician you become.
This form goes directly to Charika. She reads what you’ve shared and responds with care, typically within 1 to 2 business days, to schedule a complimentary 15-minute consultation about your supervision needs, where you are in your hours, and whether the fit feels right.
Prefer to skip the form? Book your free call directly or call or text 301-244-8219.
Google review, fellow clinicianCharika is an exceptional therapist and colleague who brings warmth, insight, and depth to every interaction. She consistently creates spaces where clients and those around her feel truly supported and cared for.
More than checking boxes for the Board.
Case consultation and clinical guidance
We review your active cases, weigh diagnostic considerations, and work through treatment planning, especially the places you feel stuck or uncertain about next steps.
Documentation and requirements
Your clinical documentation gets reviewed against Board standards, your supervision hours are tracked and recorded each session, and your pace stays on track for your board’s window.
Growth beyond licensure
The real goal is becoming a clinician who can hold complexity, trust their judgment, and navigate ethical challenges, with your identity and lived experience treated as clinical assets.
Who is this supervision for?
- ✓LGSW and LMSW clinicians earning independent licensure hours who want supervision that takes culture and systems seriously
- ✓Social workers serving Black, immigrant, or LGBTQ+ communities in the DC area
- ✓Clinicians working beside other health professionals in community mental health, hospitals, or private practice who need Board-approved supervision
You don’t need years of experience. You need the willingness to examine your own biases, grow through challenging conversations, and build clinical skills that actually serve the communities you came to this work for.
Working toward your own practice? Charika’s culturally responsive individual therapy shows the approach your supervision is built on, and the fee guide covers every service. Budgeting for your hours? Her guide to how much LCSW supervision costs breaks down market rates, formats, and what employers typically cover. If you supervise inside an agency, her psychological safety consulting and her work as an organizational culture consultant address the team conditions your supervisees are practicing in.
Supervision questions, answered.
The questions LGSW, LMSW and MSW clinicians ask most about licensing requirements, license timelines, and choosing a clinical supervisor.
Book a Free CallHow much does LCSW supervision cost in DC?
Individual clinical supervision with Charika White at Life Migration Therapy costs $90 per hour, an introductory rate for social workers earning hours in Washington DC or Maryland. Most private-practice supervisors in the DC and Maryland market charge between $90 and $150 an hour, so this rate keeps culturally responsive supervision within reach while you build your hours.
What are the supervision requirements for social work in DC?
Both the DC Board of Social Work and the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners require 3,000 hours of supervised practice after the master’s degree for the clinical license, and they differ on the supervision ratio, on whether video counts, and on who may supervise you. Charika’s guide to how many supervision hours DC and Maryland require lays the two side by side, with the citations.
Can clinical supervision be virtual?
Video supervision counts in Maryland, where the Board treats secure video conferencing as face-to-face supervision, so hours accrued by video with a Board-approved supervisor qualify there. DC’s regulations define immediate supervision as a supervisor physically present with you and exclude video conferencing, and the DC Board’s temporary policy allowing video ran through December 31, 2023. DC allows distance supervision only when the DC Board grants prior approval for good cause, so if you’re accruing DC hours, raise it on the free consultation call and confirm with the DC Board in writing before you count a video hour.
When can an LCSW provide supervision?
In DC, supervision toward LICSW licensure must come from a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker in good standing with the DC Department of Health. Charika is a board-approved clinical supervisor in both Washington DC and Maryland, and she supervises by video, which Maryland counts toward your hours and DC counts only with the DC Board’s prior approval.
What do supervision sessions give me besides the hours?
Supervision sessions are professional development for a licensed social worker, on top of the hours: you bring cases and questions, and you get guidance and honest feedback on your clinical decisions. Clinical supervisors also keep the record your board will check. In Maryland the supervisor must be Board-approved and under a written contract before supervision begins, which is what lets the clinical experience you log there count.
Do you supervise counselors or therapists who are not social workers?
No. Charika White provides clinical supervision for social workers only: LGSW clinicians working toward the LICSW in Washington DC and LMSW clinicians working toward the LCSW-C in Maryland. Professional counselors have their own licensing pathway, and she does not provide supervision toward counseling licensure, including for LGPC and LPC candidates.
What do we actually discuss in supervision?
Supervision with Charika starts with your active cases: diagnostic considerations, treatment planning, and the places you feel stuck. Beyond case consultation, we review your clinical documentation at whatever level of training you’re at, examine when diagnostic frameworks reflect bias rather than clinical necessity, and explore how your own identity shows up in the therapeutic space.
How do I track my supervision hours?
Documentation is part of the work. Charika maintains detailed records of every session, including dates, duration, and focus areas, and reviews your own logs so every required piece, hours, ratios, and timeline, holds up when you submit to the Board. You stay on pace without guessing.
How do I find the right LCSW supervisor in DC?
The right LCSW supervisor in DC is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker in good standing, someone who knows the populations you serve, and someone whose style matches how you learn. Look past the directory listing. Weigh their clinical expertise, whether they know the populations you serve, and whether their supervision style matches how you learn. Then schedule a consultation call before committing: the supervisory relationship shapes the clinician you become, and fit matters more than convenience.
What are the goals of clinical supervision in social work?
Social work supervision exists to protect the public while you develop competence for independent social work practice. The deeper goals are yours: clinical judgment you can trust, ethics you can act on under pressure, cultural responsiveness that goes beyond awareness, and the confidence to hold complexity when cases get hard.
The next 3,000 hours start here.
Book a free 15-minute consultation, or call or text when you’re ready to talk through where you are in your hours.
