I stongly support an inclusive vision of mental health counseling, based on meeting course and clinical experience requirements, not degree title or accreditation. I am very concerned when an accreditation body attempts to create an educational monopoly, based on unproven claims of  superiority, and does not allow alternative accreditation bodies to approve equivalent routes to mental health counselor licensure. 

At a time when access to mental health is jeopardized by legislatures, cut backs in funding and continued stigma, it is obscene for an entire State to further limit their citizens ability to get proper care for mental health issues.  This nation, as a whole, can no longer treat mental health as a lower tiered health care provider that is only called upon when there is another tragedy.  How many tragedies do their have to be before we get serious about access.  CACREP is only one accrediting body.  This is nothing more than a power grab and has nothing to do with quality of programming.