Residents in Counseling benefit immensely from having supervision that affirms their identity as professional counselors, which is distinct from the professional identity of our peer professionals in social work and psychology (see Mellin et al., 2011). Many clients seek out LPC's because of our focus on holistic wellness and training focused on therapeutic interventions. During supervision towards licensure, residents benefit from having that professional identity affirmed and deepened, rather than diluted. There is no doubt that LCSW's and LCP's are doing excellent work in the mental health field and can support the development of counselors in group supervision, consultation, vicarious learning, collaboration, and supervision beyond residency; however, the continued development of Residents in Counseling after they finish their masters should include a continued focus on the key components of Counselor Professional Identity (focused on development, wellness, prevention, and social justice; Woo et al., 2014). There are many LPC's providing supervision throughout the commonwealth, and with the proliferation of telehealth for supervision there seems to be ample supervisors available to residents currently, even in rural areas. 

I oppose this amendment and believe it is important to retain policy that requires Residents in Counseling to receive licensure supervision from an LPC, primarily. 

Mellin, E. A., Hunt, B., & Nichols, L. M. (2011). Counselor professional identity: Findings and implications for counseling and interprofessional collaboration. Journal of Counseling & Development, 89(2), 140-147.

Woo, H., Henfield, M. S., & Choi, N. (2014). Developing a unified professional identity in counseling: A review of the literature. Journal of Counselor Leadership and Advocacy, 1(1), 1-15.