LMHP’s are required to have coursework on Diagnosis and Treatment pertaining to all DSM diagnoses, including developmental and intellectual disabilities. There is an adequate foundation upon which to build the necessary knowledge of ABA via trainings/support. The Virginia Institute of Autism has offered wonderful trainings on ABA interventions as well as support for those who put forth the effort to provide Behavioral Therapy Services. There is no reason to believe that an LMHP cannot utilize such trainings/resources in order to implement an effective ABA program and, there is the added bonus of having someone who is clinically sound in mental health concerns that can address co-morbidity of the child and have the ability to offer support to parents as they may struggle in implementing interventions.

According to the Behavior Analyst Certification Board, there are only 364 registered BCBA’s in the state of Virginia. In running a search for providers within 50 miles of our service locations, the results range between 0 and 1 between the five counties and one city we cover. Based on this, I found ample evidence to agree with the previous statement that requiring a BCBA to supervise would essentially eliminate this very valuable service.