As an Art Therapist, trained with a Masters degree from Eastern Virginia Medical School, I strongly oppose the CACREP ruling. The training I recieved during my studies is comprable to that of several Master's in Counseling, and like Programs through out Virginia. As art therapists we trained in theories and techniques of counseling psychotherapy and in the theory, methods and clinical practice of art therapy. The Virginia Board of Counseling has long recognized this training as meeting or exceeding the academic and experience requirements for the LPC license.  Many art therapists in Virginia have gained licensure as professional counselors. This ruling would exempt those art therapist trained in the Virginia schools from recieveing an LPC in the future. By the way, that would be a great loss of revenue for Virginia. 

Currently art therapy, by properly trained art therapists is being recognized as an effective and needed treatment for returning military personnel  suffering from traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress, as well as for their family members who have endured the emotional strain of multiple military deployments. This is happening at Walter Reed and other VA hospitals across the nation. The counseling profession has sought to explain this change to a CACREP-only degree standard for licensure as necessary to allow professional counselors to qualify to meet the needs of Virginia’s large military and veteran population. However, this ruling would be cutting off several highly traing individuals from helping our military.

Right now Virginia needs more highly qualified mental health professionals.  It makes no sense to restrict licensure to only a segment of the state’s counseling profession and exclude many highly qualified and needed mental health professionals.