Supervision & Professional Development Groups

Professional development hours credit (Colorado)

Our programs meet the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) requirements for professional development for LPCs, LMFTs, and Clinical Social Workers.
DORA does not pre-approve CE providers; it is each licensee’s responsibility to choose activities that are relevant to their practice and professional growth. Certificates of completion are provided for all participants.

Group I. Advanced practice: the AGI framework for transformative therapy

Early in therapy, clients often arrive with rich stories but little movement. Sessions risk circling, stalling, or becoming symptom management. The AGI framework offers a structured way forward: assessment → goal → intervention. Each step scaffolds the next, guiding clients from intake through purposeful goals into meaningful action.

This 6-week group is designed for LPCCs and MFTCs seeking group supervision hours toward licensure, and for licensed clinicians seeking continuing professional development credit under Colorado DORA standards.

Format

  • Weekly 90-minute group (Zoom)

  • Sequential learning and application of the AGI model

  • Case discussion, structured reflection, and goal-based feedback

  • Limited to 8 participants for depth and attention

Focus Areas

 

  • Facilitate sustained client involvement across treatment

  • Conceptualize therapy as a sequential process to guide progress

  • Apply therapeutic assessment as a process tool for systemic impact

  • Narrow the gap between client story, actions, and lived experience

  • Shape single, transformative outcomes during goal development

  • Anchor client goals in ethics, integrity, values, and purpose

  • Minimize barriers to client action through targeted interventions

  • Clarify and strengthen your therapeutic role and approach

 

 

Learning Objectives

At the end of this program, participants will be able to:

  1. Apply the AGI framework to organize treatment from assessment through intervention.

  2. Construct measurable, ethically grounded client goals from assessment data.

  3. Implement interventions that scaffold client progress toward identified goals.

  4. Use AGI to conceptualize therapy as a sequential, action-oriented process.

Professional Development Information

 

  • LPCCs and MFTCs: 9 group supervision hours applicable toward licensure requirements.

  • Licensed clinicians: 9 continuing professional development hours (meets Colorado DORA requirements).

  • Certificates provided for all participants.

 

Schedule & Details

Schedule & Details

  • Wednesdays, 4:00–5:30 PM MST

  • Starts September 10

  • 6 consecutive weeks

  • Maximum 8 participants

  • Investment: $45 per meeting, per person

Group II. Beyond the therapist role: character of the clinician

Clinical training emphasizes what clinicians do - diagnose, intervene, manage risk. But rarely does it ask who the clinician is. This group fills that gap.

Over 12 weeks, participants step into a structured reflective process exploring qualities that anchor professional presence and integrity. The aim isn’t just skill - it’s character. Because in the toughest moments, character carries the work.

Format

  • Weekly 90-minute sessions (Zoom)

  • Preparatory email before each meeting with:

    • Reflection prompt from key readings

    • Sentence completion exercise (adapted from Nathaniel Branden’s Taking Responsibility)

    • 2–3 guiding questions for self-reflection

  • In-session format:

    • Group check-in

    • Structured sharing of sentence completions

    • Facilitated exploration of reflection questions

    • Integration and takeaways

Facilitation uses a mix of structured turn-taking (ensuring every voice is heard) and open dialogue (allowing for resonance, challenge, and spontaneous process).

Weekly themes 

  1. Orientation & Covenanting

  2. Integrity – Foundation of trust and self-respect

  3. Responsibility – Accountability and personal power

  4. Courage – Facing difficulty with presence

  5. Fear – Recognizing its hold on clinician and client

  6. Shame – Naming judgment and retreat without collapse

  7. Love – Commitment and connection in therapeutic work

  8. Self – Grasping presence as the clinician’s central instrument

  9. Purpose – Meaning as anchor in practice

  10. Boundaries – Holding structure with self and clients

  11. Conflict – Engaging tension as growth opportunity

  12. Faith – Trust in process, people, and possibility

Learning Objectives

At the end of this program, participants will be able to:

  1. Identify how clinician character influences clinical effectiveness and ethical presence.

  2. Apply structured reflection tools (sentence completions, guided dialogue) to expand professional self-awareness.

  3. Demonstrate strategies for addressing themes such as integrity, responsibility, shame, and courage in professional identity.

  4. Integrate personal and professional values into a coherent framework for sustained clinical practice.

Professional Development Information

 

  • 18 Professional Development Hours (12 sessions × 1.5 hours each)

  • Meets DORA requirements for professional development for LPCs, LMFTs, and Clinical Social Workers in Colorado.

  • Certificates of completion provided.

 

Group III. Professional esteem of the clinician

This group is designed for clinicians who want to strengthen their professional identity, clarify their role, and anchor themselves in a sense of value that sustains practice over time. This group focuses on strengthening the clinician’s professional esteem - confidence, clarity, and integrity in the role - by applying Nathaniel Branden’s Six Pillars of Self-Esteem to professional life. Each week, we take one pillar and explore how it shapes our presence, choices, and identity as clinicians.

Format

 

  • Weekly preparatory prompts based on Branden’s work and reflection questions.

  • Small group size (max 8 participants).

  • Structured turn-taking, followed by open discussion.

  • Concluding reflections that tie professional esteem practices to clinical application.

 

Weekly Themes

 

  • Week 1 – The Practice of Living Consciously
    How professional esteem grows when we stay mindful of our clinical choices, avoid autopilot, and acknowledge both strengths and blind spots.

  • Week 2 – The Practice of Self-Acceptance
    Learning to acknowledge limitations, mistakes, and growth edges without shame. How self-acceptance stabilizes our presence with clients and colleagues.

  • Week 3 – The Practice of Self-Responsibility
    Taking ownership of our professional decisions, boundaries, and ethical stance. Avoiding blame-shifting and cultivating accountability.

  • Week 4 – The Practice of Self-Assertiveness
    Speaking from conviction in supervision, peer consultation, and advocacy for clients. Distinguishing assertiveness from defensiveness or passivity.

  • Week 5 – The Practice of Living Purposefully
    Anchoring daily professional efforts in larger vocational aims. Exploring how purpose sustains resilience and guards against burnout.

  • Week 6 – The Practice of Personal Integrity
    Aligning clinical choices with core values, and recognizing when compromise erodes professional esteem.

 

Learning Objectives

By the end of this group, participants will be able to:

  1. Apply Branden’s six practices to strengthen their professional esteem as clinicians.

  2. Identify personal and professional blind spots that undermine clinical presence.

  3. Demonstrate self-acceptance strategies that support resilience and reduce imposter syndrome.

  4. Differentiate between responsibility, blame, and accountability in clinical practice.

  5. Implement assertiveness skills in professional settings without collapsing into defensiveness or passivity.

  6. Articulate a sense of professional purpose and apply it to sustain long-term growth.

  7. Evaluate their alignment with core values and ethics to enhance integrity in practice.

Professional Development Information

 

  • Meets Colorado DORA requirements for Professional Development Hours (6 sessions = 9 hours).

  • Out-of-state clinicians: confirm with your licensing board for CE acceptance.

 

Frequently asked questions

How are these programs different from other professional development workshops?
Most professional development programs focus on teaching new techniques. These groups focus on what clinicians often say they’re missing: clarity and grounding.

  • AGI sharpens how you structure clinical work so clients move from story to action.

  • Character of the Clinician expands who you are as a practitioner, exploring the qualities that sustain presence, integrity, and resilience.

  • Professional Esteem of the Clinician: Especially supportive for those navigating imposter syndrome, burnout, or the transition to seasoned professional identity.

How many Professional Development hours will I earn?

  • AGI Group: 9 hours

  • Character of the Clinician: 18 hours

  • Professional Esteem: 9 total hours 

Will these Professional Development hours count for my license renewal in Colorado?
Yes. Both programs meet the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) requirements for professional development for LPCs, LMFTs, and Clinical Social Workers. DORA does not pre-approve CE providers; instead, it requires that continuing education be relevant to your practice and expand your competence. Certificates of completion are provided for licensure renewal documentation.

I’m licensed outside Colorado. Will these professional development hours apply to me?
Each state sets its own rules, so if you practice outside Colorado, please confirm with your licensing board before enrolling. Certificates of completion are provided to support your submission.

Who are these programs for?
They’re designed for licensed clinicians (LPCs, LMFTs, clinical social workers, and other master’s- and doctoral-level professionals) as well as pre-licensed clinicians (LPCCs, MFTCs) who are working toward licensure and seeking supervision credit.

What credit is available?

  • LPCCs and MFTCs: Group supervision hours applicable toward licensure requirements.

  • Licensed clinicians: Continuing professional development hours under DORA standards.

  • Certificates are issued for both supervision and CE participation.

Will I receive a certificate?
Yes. Certificates of completion are issued upon completion of each program. They include the program title, instructor credentials, dates, total hours, and learning objectives.

What is the investment?

  • AGI Group: $45 per session ($270 total).

  • Character of the Clinician: $55 per session ($600 if paid in full at registration - saves $60).

  • Professional Esteem of the Clinician: $45 per session ($270 total)

Do you offer refunds if I can’t attend?
If you pay in advance, cancellations made at least one week before the program start date will receive a full refund. After that, your registration can be transferred to a future cohort.

What technology do I need?
Programs are hosted on Zoom. A stable internet connection, microphone, and camera are recommended for full participation.

Provider Information
Programs offered by H. Luis Vargas, PhD, LMFT meet Colorado DORA requirements for professional development for LPCs, LMFTs, and Clinical Social Workers. Certificates of completion are provided. Pre-licensed clinicians (LPCCs, MFTCs) may apply hours toward required group supervision. Out-of-state participants should confirm professional development hours acceptance with their licensing board.

To register for a group, submit form:

Group IV. Character of the Supervisor: Courage, Integrity, and Reimagining the Profession

This professional development program is designed for experienced clinicians who serve as supervisors or are preparing for supervisory roles. The group emphasizes supervision as a formative process rooted in character, integrity, and courage. Participants will engage in structured consultation, reflective exercises, and peer dialogue to examine their supervisory presence and its influence on the professional growth of their supervisees.

By reimagining supervision as more than compliance or hour-counting, this program positions the supervisor as a steward of the profession. Through exploring themes of power, esteem, and professional vision, participants will refine their ability to hold supervisory authority responsibly and to foster the development of clinicians who are both competent and anchored in ethical character.

Format

  • Format: 90-minute group sessions, meeting weekly for six consecutive weeks.

  • Participants: Approved supervisors, supervisors-in-training, and senior clinicians preparing for supervisory roles

  • Group Size: 6–8 participants for sustained dialogue and presence. 

Weekly Themes

Week 1: Integrity as Bedrock

We will work toward making integrity central to our supervision practice.

Week 2: Courage in Supervision

Exploration of courage in addressing power dynamics, ethical dilemmas, and difficult supervisee moments.

Week 3: Character and Esteem

The supervisor’s character as foundational to relational-esteem. 

How esteem dynamics (self-esteem, relational-esteem, professional-esteem) show up in supervisory relationships.

Week 4: Reimagining the Profession

Supervisors as architects of the profession’s future.

Facing careerism, gatekeeping, and the narrowing of imagination in training.

Week 5: Holding Power Lightly

Supervisory presence that does not grip power too tightly.

Building supervisory scaffolding without creating dependency.

Week 6: Integration and Vision

Supervisors articulate their evolving philosophy of supervision.

Culminates in each member presenting their “Statement of Supervisory Character."

Learning Objectives/Outcomes

  1. Develop a Supervisory Philosophy – Draft and articulate a written statement of supervisory philosophy that integrates values, integrity, and vision for the profession.

  2. Apply Integrity-Based Practices – Identify and implement at least two supervisory practices that promote integrity in documentation, evaluation, and supervisory dialogue.

  3. Demonstrate Courage in Case Application – Apply strategies for addressing complex supervisory dilemmas - such as power imbalances or ethical challenges - using courage and professional-esteem as guiding frameworks.

  4. Build a Professional Peer Network – Engage in structured peer consultation that fosters ongoing collaboration and stewardship of the supervisory role beyond the training period.

Professional Development Information

  • Meets Colorado DORA requirements for Professional Development Hours (6 sessions = 9 hours).

  • Out-of-state clinicians: confirm with your licensing board for CE acceptance.