Hello,

As others have stated, this is a very nuanced issue for counselor training. Weekly supervision throughout the residency is beneficial in ensuring client issues and resident development issues don't "fall through the cracks", but also creates some inequity and difficulty for residents who are working to become counselors on a part time basis. 200 hours is a high bar for the residency period, but we should be holding our residents to a high bar for learning how to do this work. I am proud to be licensed in Virginia, where I know my fellow counselors have had those hours in supervision to learn and grow and tackle new situations that are unfamiliar. I am opposed to changes designed to "just make it easier" to get licensed quickly. It seems that the current set up in which residents must have one hour of supervision per 40 hours of work time seems fair to residents and supervisors. Most of all, I hope the board will be thoughtful in ensuring that Virginia maintains a high training standard for residents pursuing their LPC, especially with the Counselor Compact legislation expanding our opportunities to serve clients in other states in the years ahead. 

Justin Jordan PhD LPC LSATP