How it works: Getting started as a supervisor on Headway

Follow this guide to get set up to see your first client on Headway as a supervisor.
 

Step 1: Confirm you meet your state's requirements

Taking on a supervisee is an exciting milestone — and a significant one. The best supervisors come in prepared, engaged, and genuinely invested in someone else's growth. Before getting started, confirm you're ready.
 

Make sure you're qualified to supervise in your state

• Hold a full, independent license in good standing (e.g., LCSW, LPC, LMHC, or licensed psychologist)
• Meet any state-specific experience or credentialing requirements for supervisors
   

Make sure you can meet the obligations of supervision

• Provide regular supervision sessions as required by your state board
• Review and co-sign session notes and treatment plans in a timely manner
• Keep your total supervisee caseload, inside and outside of Headway, within your state's limits

Headway supports your supervisory workflow, but compliance with your state board's requirements, and the professional responsibility that comes with supervision, is ultimately yours to maintain.

Step 2: Accept your Headway invitation (if applicable)

If you're new to Headway, you'll receive an email invitation to create your Sigmund Lite account (Headway's provider portal). Click the link in the email to set up your login and get access to your dashboard.

Next step: Once you're in Sigmund, you'll complete your intake form (if required).

Step 3: Complete your intake form (if applicable)

If you're new to Headway, your practice admin may complete this on your behalf, so check with them first. If you're completing it yourself, you'll need:

• Your NPI number — your individual Type 1 NPI, not a group/Type 2
• Your CAQH login — CAQH is the standardized credentialing database that most payers use to verify your information
• Your malpractice insurance — your policy must meet Headway's minimum coverage requirements

Next step: Once your intake form is submitted (or confirmed not needed), you'll move on to your supervision form.

Step 4: Complete your supervision form

This is the key step that officially establishes you as a supervisor on Headway. You'll review and sign your supervisory terms and conditions, which include:

• Your attestation that you meet the qualifications to supervise clinicians in your state. It is your responsibility to confirm you are authorized to supervise under your state licensing board's rules before signing.
• Your agreement to provide ongoing oversight of your supervisees' clinical work
• Acknowledgment that Headway may audit clinical records at any time
• Confirmation that you understand you are the rendering clinician of record for supervisee sessions

This form is specific to supervisory billing and is required even if you're already active on Headway.

Next step: After signing, your application moves to Headway's clinical team for review.

Step 5: Clinical review and approval (Headway does this — no action needed)

After your intake and supervision forms are complete, Headway's clinical team will review your application. Because supervisors hold responsibility for the clinical care of pre-licensed clinicians and their clients, Headway maintains quality standards for all providers participating in a supervisory capacity, both at the time of application and on an ongoing basis. This review is conducted by Headway's Supervisor Quality Committee, an interdisciplinary group of licensed clinicians and clinical leadership.

You'll be in a Pending Review state during this time — no action is needed from you.

The review typically takes 2–3 business days. Headway will notify you by email as soon as you're approved and live.

What the review looks at

• Credentialing verification (license, NPI, malpractice)
• Government exclusion lists (e.g., OIG, SAM.gov, state Medicaid exclusion lists)
• Clinical quality and compliance history

If anything is missing or needs clarification, your admin or a Headway team member will reach out.

Next step: Once approved, you're ready to receive supervisees and start transferring clients.

Step 6: Transfer your first client to your supervisee

Your supervisee's account is now active, but they can't see clients until you transfer them. Here are a few things to know before you transfer a client:

• When you transfer a client, you'll attest that you've reviewed their clinical needs and determined your supervisee is qualified to treat them under your supervision. Assessing the appropriateness of fit likely considers diagnostic complexity, the client's acuity level, your supervisee's training background and modality, and whether the client's presentation is appropriate for a provisionally licensed clinician.
• Before initiating the transfer, have a direct conversation with your client. This should cover:
  • Your supervisee's provisional licensure status
  • How the supervisory relationship works
  • That you will be reviewing their notes and treatment plans
• Clients are required to review and sign a disclosure form confirming they understand they're receiving care from a provisionally licensed or pre-licensed provider. This is handled automatically through Headway.
• Clients must be added to your account first before they can be transferred.
• Only supervisors (not group admins) can transfer clients to supervisees.
• During the initial beta phase, supervisees cannot be found in Headway's public search. Clients must come from your existing caseload or direct referrals from your practice.
   

How to transfer a client

1. Go to the client's profile page on Headway
2. Navigate to "Supervised Provider"
3. Click "Add Supervised Provider"
4. Select your supervisee's name from the list
5. Click "Confirm Transfer"

The client will now appear in your supervisee's Headway portal.

Next step: Once a client is transferred, your supervisee will schedule and conduct sessions, and you'll be notified when their notes and treatment plans need your review.

Step 7: Review session notes and treatment plans

This is your ongoing responsibility as a supervisor. Every session your supervisee conducts requires your review and co-signature before a claim can be submitted and payment can be scheduled. Your co-signature is a clinical attestation that you have reviewed the work and it meets the standard of care. You'll receive a notification in your Supervision Hub and/or your homepage task list.
 

Session notes

• After each session, your supervisee writes and submits a progress note within 72 hours.
• You can either co-sign and confirm the session, or request edits with written feedback. If a note does not meet clinical standards, you are expected to request revisions before signing.
• If you request edits, your supervisee will be notified to revise and resubmit.
• Once you co-sign, the session is confirmed and billing proceeds — this must happen within 30 days of the session date. Co-signing a note attests that the session was conducted appropriately, the documentation is accurate, and the care provided was clinically sound and within your supervisee's scope.
   

Treatment plans

• A treatment plan is required for every client your supervisee sees. Supervisees can hold up to two sessions without one, but future sessions will be blocked until a plan is submitted and approved.
• Your supervisee drafts the treatment plan using Headway's templates (or you can write one from scratch, use a template, or upload one yourself).
• You'll be notified to review and co-sign the treatment plan via your Supervision Hub.
• Once co-signed, the supervisee can continue scheduling sessions with that client. Approving a treatment plan confirms you have assessed the clinical appropriateness of the proposed care and determined it is within your supervisee's competence to provide.

Have questions? Reach out to your group admin or contact Headway support through your portal.