Approving this change will strengthen the mental health services the State of Virginia can provide to its citizens and bring Virginia to the forefront of tackling the challenges of the mental health crisis in America in this generation. The burnout rate of counselors is unsustainable and one preventable cause of that loss is addressed here, fair and equitable compensation for services provided. Allowing residents to bill directly if they choose does not weaken the requirements for supervision and professional development. Instead, it will likely strengthen the resident/supervisor relationship. The resident who chooses to have their own practice will feel less taken advantage of and more autonomous, which is in line with the code of ethics and the supervisor can focus more on their responsibility to provide oversight and mentoring.

As a resident, it is disheartening under the current regulations to see the workload I have to take on in order to make ends meet and provide for my family, when all that separates me from being more fairly compensated is an outdated, unnecessarily oppressive regulation.