I am seeing a lot of opposition comments referring to residents in a way that implies they are untrustworthy, unseasoned, and generally unable to manage the difficulty of handling their own compensation. (waves scented hankie to revive herself from the horrors of managing her own finances)

In response to these assumptions/implications, I urge you all to please recall that residents have only reached that stage in their journey by completing their undergraduate degree; being accepted to graduate school; completing their graduate school curriculum, including 600 hours of internship; passing a background check; responding to a long list of ethical questions; finding a Supervisor and submitting their Supervision contract to the Board, etc, etc. (If you need to refamiliarize yourself with the long list of requirements to apply for Residency, the link is here: https://www.dhp.virginia.gov/media/dhpweb/docs/counseling/forms/LPC/LPCHandbook2024.pdf

Residents are not babes in the woods who took a few counseling courses on a whim and decided to hang out shingle. Nor are Residents unethical scoundrels who will abscond with their clients' payments without providing services. Many Residents are in their second or third career, and many are experienced entrepreneurs. To imply that we are untrustworthy or too stupid to manage our own businesses is a grave insult. To that point, in what capacity is the Board assisting our professional/clinical growth as Counselors by forcing us to process payments through our supervisors? 

I am disappointed and angered to read comments from licensed professional Counselors denigrating the intelligence and ethics of residents. Removing this burdensome language from the regulations simply reduces a logistical roadblock to residents eager to serve the growing number of Virginians desperate for mental health support, it does not encourage fraud or unethical behavior among residents.