I am writing as a counselor educator, whose students go on to practice in all states including Virginia, to ask that you reverse the recent regulation that restricts graduates’ choice of supervisors to people with LPC and LMFT licenses. That will provide unreasonable restrictions on the ability of new graduate counselors to obtain the supervised experience necessary to become licensed in a timely manner.  The majority of available supervisors, and in fact mental health practitioners, are licensed psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers, with whom counselors will work for the rest of their professional lives. It is also important to note that this regulation received substantial opposition during the public comment period, which was apparently disregarded in the process of adoption. Further, I continue to oppose any efforts to restrict counseling licensure to graduates of CACREP accredited programs. While accredition is important, there are other equally rigorous accrediting bodies, whose graduates will quite capably serve the residents of Virginia.

Pamela Foley, Ph.D.