Phyllis Mccolister-Cunningham, LMHC, LPC, CCTP, CAP, CPC

Phyllis McColister-Cunningham is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Qualified Clinical Supervisor in the state of Florida with 10 years of private practice experience. As the Clinical Director of Healing Waters Counseling, she brings experience in trauma-focused counseling, clinical leadership, counselor development, and private practice mentorship. She has trained and supervised counseling interns and mentored clinicians who have gone on to establish their own private practices. Her supervision approach is collaborative, strengths-based, trauma-informed, and developmentally responsive. She creates a supportive environment where supervisees can ask questions, reflect on challenging cases, strengthen clinical judgment, and develop their professional identities. Her mentoring style combines encouragement with clear expectations, constructive feedback, and accountability. Phyllis emphasizes ethical practice, confidentiality, appropriate boundaries, cultural humility, and working within one’s scope of competence. Supervision addresses assessment, diagnostic reasoning, treatment planning, ongoing evaluation, documentation, and client safety. She also encourages supervisees to examine how their personal experiences, beliefs, and emotional responses influence their clinical work. As a private practice mentor and coach, Phyllis helps clinicians connect sound clinical care with sustainable practice habits. Her mentorship includes professional confidence, caseload development, practice organization, and clinician wellness. Her Christian faith informs her commitment to compassionate care, while she respects the beliefs and preferences of each supervisee and client. Her goal is to help emerging counselors become thoughtful, ethical, confident practitioners who provide effective care while building fulfilling and sustainable professional lives.