As a licensed clinical psychologist who has helped supervise and train master's level counselors for over 20 years, I believe the proposed restriction of those who can supervise counselors in Virginia to only those with a LPC or LMFT license is an inane and misguided regulation. It would unduly restrict experienced psychologists and social workers from providing supervision, and may harm those seeking/needing supervision by limiting their options of who can supervise them. In many settings, mental health and medical professionals from various disciplines work together on integrated teams, and it is often more convenient (and adds diversity in perspective) for counselors-in-training to find qualified supervisors from those in their workgroup, who may come from a related mental health professsion.  In some rural areas, options for supervision may be quite limited, and this regulation could limit these choices even further.

A clear and decisive rationale does not exist for the restrictions that the Board has imposed...why curtail or restrict choice of (qualified and experienced) mental health supervisors? Why disregard typically well-trained licensed psychologists as providers of clinical supervision?  Therefore, reverse the recent regulation that restricts graduates’ choice of supervisors to people with LPC and LMFT licenses. More broadly, the Board should take a stronger stance to respect graduates from programs that are not CACREP accredited (such as mine) that nonetheless provide rigorous academic and clinical training, and successfully prepare students to sit for licensure in any state.