To the Virginia licensing board:

I join with hundreds if not more counselors, counselor educators, and members of the public to urge you to vote NO on this misguided proposal. The purpose of a licensing board is to protect the public by establishing the minimum standards necessary for professional practice. This proposal would not do this. If passed, it would cede state/commonwealth authority to an independent agency that is not accountable to the people of Virginia, force well-regarded counselor training programs like George Mason University to conform to a guild-sanctioned model of training, and reduce the number of qualified counselors eligible to work in Virginia thereby decreasing services and increasing costs to the public.

There is no indendent evidence to support the position that graduates of master's programs in counseling accredited by CACREP are more ethical or effective than graduates of similar unaffiliated programs or programs accredited by MPCAC. Moreover, the grandparenting provisions in this proposal, while generous in comparison with most, are not sufficient to address the concerns stated above.

I join with colleagues across the nation to urge you to vote no on this misguided proposal. Thank you for your consideration.

Peggy Brady-Amoon, PhD, LPC

Associate Professor & Academic Director, Counseling Programs

Seton Hall University

Chair, New Jersey Counseling Coalition