I graduated from Radford University Clinical Psychology program with an MS in 2008. I immediately went to work at the local Community Services Board (NRVCS) where I excelled. I became invested in the community and planned to stay in Virginia working in community mental health, specifically in doing crisis counseling. To do this I knew I needed to get licensed. Unfortunately, as I watched my peers get rejected by the board, it became clear to me that this would not be an option in Virginia without getting a second graduate degree in counseling. This seems ridiculous ot me and a waste of time and resources. I am already trained as a counselor and I have great professional experience. I don't want to repeat the points that have already been made about the qualities of my graduate program. I thought it would be more helpful to give a picture of the consequences of not allowing me to pursue an LPC with my graduate degree. Instead of staying in Virginia and working in the community, I left the state and I am now doing research in psychology, preparing to start a doctorate degree. Had my degree been license eligible in Virginia I likely would have stayed and continued to work in emergency services which is a field that is sorely needed but people often don't stay very long. I wasn't able to move up in my agency so to advance my career I had to leave the field.