A CACREP only policy will dramatically limit access to mental health care by decreasing access to highly qualified counselors at a time when the need for quality mental health care is rapidly rising.  Virginia and Maryland shoud be working together to standardize the board requirements related to practice (note that the Maryland standard spells out coursework and curriculum but does not insist on only one organization being in charge of certifying them, resulting in high quality care throughout the state and improved access for patients to care) to increase portability and patient access to quality care.  Licensed counselors in both states have a proven track record of delivering good care, and using CACREP is likely to decrease this drastically.

The burden of proof is yours Virginia. What evidence do you have that CACREP accredited counselors are more qualified to deliver the services? Let licensing boards decide based on merit rather than institutional attempts to capture the educational market for licensed professionals.Why limit consumer access to services in the state of Virginia?