Please approve the petition change.  When I was a Resident the Board of Counseling was supportive and helpful to me and others in completing my residency--which I did in 2007.  I am grateful to the Board for approving my residency within a month or 6 weeks of application. 

However, it appears that staff cutbacks at the Board of Counseling has changed that attitude and ability of the board to provide timely responses and efficient handling of applications to start Residency.  It is sad that the Board has been unwilling to recognize the need for efficiency and fairness in this process. It is obvious that given the inefficiency is with the board process and not (usually) the Resident, that approval should be given as of the date of submission. 

Achieving 4000 hours of clinical experience in a residency is a a long and hard road.  It is a shame that significant hours of clinical experience are disqualified by the board when applications have been sitting in the board's hands for 3 months, 6 months, a year or more.  The Resident should not be held responsible or made to "pay" for the inefficiency of the board. 

Please accept this petition and approve backdating of applications for Residents. Its the only fair thing to do!