I fully support this petition.  I moved to Virginia after completing my MA at Syracuse University in MFT.  I have been highly discouraged with Virginia's slow and difficult process.  In NY State, residents are able to contact the board within 24-48 hours with application questions while those in VA often never receive a returned call or email from The Board.  This causes significant anxiety as residents are dependent on the board for professional decision making. 

For example, I have tried multiple times to contact the board in order to confirm that my additional coursework will comply and have not received a return call in over 9 months. I am risking thousands of dollars by taking additional courses which 'I believe (after scrutinizing the regulations)' will comply with Board Requirements.  It also took nearly 9 months before receiving approval to begin residency hours.  This process is in need of serious change.