I am part of a small mental health agency in Roanoke, VA.  We serve children and families, including foster care, adoptive, and at-risk children.  Many of these children have Medicaid for their insurance.  We have a wonderful staff of both licensed and licensed-eligible providers.  We provide play therapy, attachment therapy, family therapy, parenting education, and counseling to children and families from age 2 -adult.  Many of our clients could not find readily-available services anywhere else.  

Our agency is an "incubator" agency, meaning we have produced licensed therapists through training, supervision, and shared resources.  I am a registered play therapist-Supervisor.  I directly supervise resident counselors and supervisees in social work who provide exceptional services to these underserved populations.  The way the provider qualifications are now is a win-win-win for the clients, the therapists and the community: 

1.    Therapists gain the experience they need to become licensed.  Direct, outpatient clinical experience is the best possible experience for a license-eligible clinician.

2.  We serve a population that wouldn't have ready-access to services.  The clients have more choice and shorter or no waitlists.

3.  The community benefits.  We produce licensed therapists with excellent clinical skills who will use their skills to give back to the community.

If you change these rules, it will have a negative impact on our community and the very people that need help the most.  Please do not change the rules regarding provider qualifications!  

Susan Owen, LCSW, RPT-S

Thriving Families Counseling

Roanoke, VA