My mother is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the State of Virginia. This proposal gives her mixed feelings for the fact that she had to work very hard to obtain her licensure and is frustrated by the fact that it could've been easier for her. At the same time, however, she feels very overwhelmed at her current job at a community agency because she is currently the only LPC handling counseling for clients at the office. She handles anywhere from 40 to 50 clients at one time on her caseload. In order to encourage more people to pursue becoming an LPC, I support reducing residency requirements so that the already overwhelmed system will be able to have more support as well as the ability to help more of those who are in need. The current demands for mental health, especially in rural areas, greatly exceeds the availability of counselors.