I am strongly opposed to the requirement for CACREP accreditation for those programs preparing student for licenses in the field of Counseling. 

1. The State of Virginia has established reasonable requirements for licensure already and should not cede its power to an outside regulatory body.

2.  The health of a profession lies in its diversity of providers, and the diversity of the providers depends on the educationally based freedom to teach, explore, consider and experience.  Narrowing the path along which pre-licensed students must walk will create a narrowing of not only the thoughts that they consider, but also narrows the future development of the profession itself.  We should be encouraging students to come into counseling from a variety of educational perspectives instead of constricting the pool from which we will accept them. 

3.  As long as candidates for licensure can meet the licensing requirements of the State of Virginia by supervision and examination, why should we feel compelled to micromanage what they have learned along the way?

4.  There is already in place the National Board of Counseling which can provide a standard by which portability of license can be fostered.  It is not necessary to duplicate this by writing State regulations such as this current petition.

Respectfully submitted,

Edythe Dunn, MA (Psychology from a non-CACREP program), LPC, NCC