With more than 15 years of combined clinical and supervision experience working with high-risk populations, the presenters recognize how critical the first few weeks of practicum can be in shaping a counselor-in-training’s clinical judgment and ethical decision-making. Risk assessment is a core clinical skill, yet students often begin practicum with limited experience applying this knowledge in real-time. Embedding structured risk assessment into early individual supervision offers a proactive, intentional approach to support student development while fulfilling our gatekeeping responsibilities. This strategy not only protects client welfare but also allows supervisors to provide tailored feedback, identify areas of concern early, and build supervisees’ confidence when navigating complex cases. By reframing early supervision as an opportunity to explicitly assess clinical readiness through applied risk-based scenarios, we can use supervision more purposefully to enhance counselor competence and ethical practice from the start.