I strongly oppose CACREP-only regulations.

I am a 2005 graduate of Radford University’s graduate program in Clinical Psychology. I have served since 2005 served as Director of Research Quality Management and Head of the Human Subjects Core at the MIRECC (Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center), which is a federally funded research center based within the Veteran Affairs Maryland Health Care System. Our primary interest is improving the care of Veterans who have a serious mental illness. We develop evidence-based psychosocial interventions, treatments, and psychometrically sound instruments. My graduate program in psychology provided me with excellent training for this position and also prepared me to provide mental health counseling services as well.  If the proposed CACREP-only regulations passed,  I would no longer be eligible for the LPC in Virginia, my husbands home state. Although I plan to remain in Maryland and thus the proposed regulations do not impact me directly, I currently supervise a colleague who also graduated from same graduate program at Radford University who was very eager to earn the LPC in Virginia. Unfortunately, however, she was not eligible due to the restrictive regulations adopted by the Board of Counseling after 2009. She is a highly competent individual with a passion to provide mental health services to military families. This is a shame since our military needs services of competent counselors now and in the coming years, more than ever.  I urge you to OPPOSE CACREP-only regulations which would deny highly qualified individuals the opportunity to return to Virginia and earn their LPC so that they can work with military families with significant mental health needs. 

Sincerely,

Julia Kindred