The Commonwealth of Virginia, and the Board of Counseling have duty to protect the public and ensure that residents have access to excellent mental health services from well-trained and qualified Licensed Professional Counselors.
The Board has a long history of upholding the highest expectations for licensure, and I am confident that the Board will continue to uphold its standards of excellence.
Allowing individuals trained in Clinical Psychology programs, who lack basic elements of a core counseling curriculum (group counseling, career counseling, marriage & family therapy, substance abuse counseling, & ethics) pose a potential risk to the residents of Virginia. It would be irresponsible of the Board to allow individuals who do not have training in these essential elements of a counseling curriculum to practice as professional counselors. Additionally, The Board of Counseling in Virginia has determined that it cannot ethically sanction those trained in the discipline of professional psychology to practice as Professional Counselors, just as the Board of Psychology cannot ethically sanction those trained in the discipline of Professional Counseling to practice as professional psychologists. Psychology and Counseling have distinct philosophical and practical differences, which are reflected in the curricular experiences each requires.
I am proud to be an LPC in the Commonwealth, because I know that I have met and continue to uphold the highest standards for professional counselors in the country. Having done so, I am well-prepared to provide quality mental health services to the residents of the Commonwealth. Anything less, and I would be providing sub-standard, even potentially harmful disservice those clients. I encourage the Board to continue to hold LPC candidates to those high standards as well, and protect the the integrity of all of our licenses, protect the public, and ensure the highest quality of mental health services are provided here in the Commonwealth.
Respectfully Submitted,
Adele Walker-Blue, LPC