Clinical Supervision in DC and Maryland for Social Workers
You’ve earned your MSW. Between you and independent licensure stands one requirement that shapes the clinician you become: quality supervision. Whether you’re an LGSW in DC or an LMSW in Maryland, you deserve a supervisor who understands the communities you serve, not someone checking boxes on your hours.
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 Board-compliant
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, meet DC Board requirements, and your hours are documented properly.
$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. Individual sessions only for now, 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.
- Submit your supervision plan. The DC Board of Social Work approves your plan before hours begin to accrue. I’ll help you get the paperwork 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
- ✓MSW graduates completing practicum or internship hours in a clinical training program
- ✓Clinicians 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?
Clinical supervision in Washington DC typically runs $75 to $150 per hour depending on the format and the supervisor’s experience. Life Migration Therapy offers individual supervision at $90 per hour, an introductory rate that keeps quality, culturally responsive supervision within reach while you build your hours.
What are the supervision requirements for social work in DC?
The DC Board of Social Work and the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners each set their own hour totals, supervision ratio, and rules about what counts, and the two don’t match, so the full side by side with the citations is in the guide to how many supervision hours DC and Maryland require at /therapy-resources/how-many-hours-of-supervision-for-lcsw/.
Can clinical supervision be virtual?
Yes. Supervision with Charika is fully virtual for social workers across Washington DC and Maryland, which makes a consistent supervision rhythm far easier to keep alongside a full clinical schedule. Sessions are live, face-to-face video, and documented to Board standards.
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, so your hours are earned under a supervisor each Board recognizes.
What do we actually discuss in supervision?
Your active cases first: 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?
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. Your hours count the same everywhere. Your supervision doesn’t.
