I support the petition for doctoral students in CACREP program to get licensed as a professional counselor in Virginia.

We support the petition to accept the supervised hours of practicum and internship in a CACREP accredited doctoral program towards the required hours for the residency in counseling in the state of Virginia.  We feel that it is wrong for the state to require students to spend additional funds when they have already created substantial debt to complete their education.  Since these hours are acceptable from the CACREP Masters program,  why is the government making it hard for qualified candidates to get their license?

I support this peition.  Based on the board's acceptance of hours in a master’s program, a doctoral level program is post grad and provides more extensive clinical work, experience, and supervision. Doctoral Level Counseling Programs that adhere to the following CACREP guidelines are stricter than the Master’s level program and are carefully overseen by licensed professors and supervisors with NCC and ACS credentials. Additionally, within the Master’s level internship course, students are not obligated to register their supervisors and those hours are counted in access of 600 hours with the acceptance of 20 supervision hours if the supervisor is a LPC. With the increase of CACREP accredited doctoral counseling and counseling education programs, this new rule would address the students’ unique clinical experience and acknowledge their commitment to the counseling profession and community.

Doctoral students in doctoral level counseling programs receive extensive supevision and are challenged in all areas the VA Board of Counseling asks of master's level counseling programs. I believe it adds unnecssary debt to dismiss their supevised hours from their programs. I support the request to ask the VA Board of Counseling to accept residency and supervision hours from CACREP Doctoral Counseling programs. 

Doctoral Level Counseling students deserve the acceptance of their practicum and internship hours. They work too hard to have their hours ignored and dismissed. Reconsider and create a set of standards that is focused on students in doctoral counseling programs. 

I support this petition.  Why is Virginia so difficult?  You are losing many great counselors to Maryland and Virginia.

I write this on behalf of all doctoral students who are in counseling program and are trying to become licensed. Virgina's counseling rules and regulations have continued to create problems for residents. It seems silly that individuals who are focusing on becoming experts in the field's experience is not counted towards licensure. I don't believe members of the board truly understand how increasingly expensive higher educational programs have become along with paying outside supervisors. If the board accepted at least half of their hours it would reduce the amount of money that they have to pay while still challenging them to seek additional supervision once they complete their doctoral program. Individuals with doctorates sacrifice their time, money, and lives in the pursuit of advancing their clinical skills. Please consider accepting these hours for doc students. 

I would like to support the proposed petition. The current guidelines and regulations do not address CACREP Doctoral practicum and internship hours/supervision.  Doctoral practicum and internship hours/supervision in a CACREP accredited Doctoral Counseling programs should be accepted towards residency hours if the professor/supervisor has an active LPC license and meets the supervision training requirements outlined by the current regulations.  This petition should be approved based the VA Counseling Board's precious decision to accept clinical hours in a CACREP master’s program and supervision. Doctoral Level Counseling Programs hours that adhere to the CACREP guidelines provide more extensive clinical work, experience, and supervision.  Doctoral students in CACREP program are carefully overseen by licensed professors and supervisors with NCC and ACS credentials.  Additionally, within the Master’s level internship course, students are not obligated to register their supervisors and those hours are counted in access of 600 hours up to 900 along with 20 hours of supervision. There continues to be an increase of CACREP accredited doctoral counseling and counseling education programs in Virginia. It is imperative that VA Counseling Board address the doctoral students’ unique clinical experience and acknowledge their commitment to the counseling profession and community. 

I would like to support the proposed petition. The current guidelines and regulations do not address CACREP Doctoral practicum and internship hours/supervision.  Doctoral practicum and internship hours/supervision in a CACREP accredited Doctoral Counseling programs should be accepted towards residency hours if the professor/supervisor has an active LPC license and meets the supervision training requirements outlined by the current regulations.  This petition should be approved based the VA Counseling Board's precious decision to accept clinical hours in a CACREP master’s program and supervision. Doctoral Level Counseling Programs hours that adhere to the CACREP guidelines provide more extensive clinical work, experience, and supervision.  Doctoral students in CACREP program are carefully overseen by licensed professors and supervisors with NCC and ACS credentials.  Additionally, within the Master’s level internship course, students are not obligated to register their supervisors and those hours are counted in access of 600 hours up to 900 along with 20 hours of supervision. There continues to be an increase of CACREP accredited doctoral counseling and counseling education programs in Virginia. It is imperative that VA Counseling Board address the doctoral students’ unique clinical experience and acknowledge their commitment to the counseling profession and community.

I would like to support the proposed rule change. The current guidelines fail to address how to evaluate CACREP doctoral hours. CACREP doctoral hours should be assessed in the same regard as CACREP masters hours. It is imperative the Virginia counseling board provide guidance to avoid possible discrimination among applicants.

The current guidelines makes getting the required residency hours in counseling  extremely difficult for doctoral  students . Virginia is losing great counselor to other states.

More guidance is needed for when considering CACREP doctoral hours. Please address this gap in the guidelines.