I fully support the petition to amend the current regulations and allow residents in counseling to directly bill clients and receive payments for their services. The existing rules create an unfair disadvantage for residents, limiting their ability to build a successful practice and placing unnecessary financial and administrative burdens on both residents and supervisors.

The current system, which requires payments to be routed through supervisors, is both cumbersome and outdated. In an era where digital payments are the norm, requiring a middleman for financial transactions only serves to complicate what should be a straightforward process. This outdated requirement places Virginia’s residents at a disadvantage compared to their peers in other states where direct billing is allowed.

Residents are often in the early stages of their careers, working hard to establish themselves in the field. They face the dual challenge of gaining clinical experience while managing the financial realities of life after graduate school. The inability to directly bill clients adds an unnecessary layer of financial stress. It forces residents to rely on supervisors to manage their income, which can be problematic if the supervisor is not well-versed in these financial processes or is simply unwilling to take on the extra administrative load.

Moreover, the requirement for payments to go through supervisors can deter qualified professionals from becoming supervisors. The administrative burden and potential tax implications are significant deterrents, which ultimately limits the availability of quality supervision for residents. By allowing residents to handle their own billing, we can remove this barrier and potentially increase the pool of willing and qualified supervisors.

Additionally, clients who choose to work with a resident counselor should not be burdened with a complicated payment process. Clients prefer transparency and simplicity, and being required to pay someone other than the person providing the service can create confusion and disrupt the therapeutic relationship. Direct billing respects the client’s choice and maintains the integrity of the counselor-client relationship