Virginia Regulatory Town Hall
Agency
Department of Health Professions
 
Board
Board of Counseling
 
chapter
Regulations Governing the Practice of Professional Counseling [18 VAC 115 ‑ 20]
Action Changes resulting from periodic review
Stage Proposed
Comment Period Ended on 4/1/2022
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3/24/22  3:16 pm
Commenter: Dr. Jody Kulstad

Inequitable Licensure Practices
 

This is a further attempt to push CACREP only onto Virginia counselor licensure. As others have noted, having CACREP accreditation only indicates that a program meets baseline requirements for training counselors. Programs who have CHOSEN to not pursue CACREP are often equally if not more rigorous and graduate excellent counseling professionals. This field needs more counselors, not less, and there is no evidence that those who graduate from CACREP programs are any more qualified than those who do not. To make a distinction and limit the licensing based on that is inequitable. 

To add to what another commentor mentioned - I graduate with my MA in Counseling in 1993 - long before CACREP had increased their requirements to 60 credits and before most programs even thought of anything but regional accreditation. This not only punishes those who graduate now, but those who graduated years ago. 

This field and our state needs to be more inclusive not exclusive. 

CommentID: 120860