I'm writing to express my strong opposition to this proposal that would require licensed counselors from non-CACREP accredited programs to be required to earn 7 more years of experience than their colleagues graduating from CACREP accredited programs.

There is no evidence that licensed counselors graduating from CACREP programs are better prepared than their colleagues who graduated from others. Two of my clinical supervisors graduated from non-CACREP accredited programs and their clinical acumen has been invaluable to my development as a clinician. This proposal would even further limit the number of licensed counselors available to serve Virginians in a climate where mental health services are more needed than ever.