To Whom It May Concern, 

I am a resident of Northern Virginia and an LCPC working in Maryland, where I completed my education and first began the licensure process before moving to Alexandria. When I moved to Virginia in 2008, I considered applying for Virginia licensure but was discouraged when I discovered that my accumulated supervision hours would not be honored by my home state. Having been licensed in good standing for many years, I could submit for license now, and would be eligible, but have hesitated because I continue to see examples of VA policies being driven more by lobbyists than by quality practices. In this case, providing preference to a single accrediting body rather than nationally established and accepted guidelines puts Virginia constituents at a disadvantage - there are unmet needs, particularly in Virginia's Public Behavioral Health System, and these needs could be met by qualified and capable counselors educated at non-CACREP accredited schools. 

As an Approved Clinical Supervisor in Maryland, I have personally supervised Licensed Graduate Professional Counselors pursuing independent licensure, including several from highly qualified graduates from Johns Hopkins University and University of Maryland whose counseling psychology programs are not CACREP accredited but continue to provide all the foundational skills and education required to start out in a career as a counseling professional. 

Virginia should adopt the fair and simple Portability Model of the American Counseling Association:

A counselor who is licensed at the independent practice level in their home state and who has no disciplinary record shall be eligible for licensure at the independent practice level in any state or U.S. jurisdiction in which they are seeking residence. The state to which the licensed counselor is moving may require a jurisprudence examination based on the rules and procedures of that state. 

Thank you for considering the perspectives of clinical professionals working in this field. 

Sincerely, 

Kris Wright, LCPC