I agree with all the residents and their supervisors who have been calling for a larger staff with new response-time deadlines at the Board of Counseling.  I had to wait on approval to change supervisors from October 15th (2011) until February 10th, 2012 with the stipulation that I could not do any counseling until the approval was granted. At this rate of progress, I will not make it out of the pre-licensure phase by the five-year post-graduation mark.

It is astounding to compare the Nursing profession to our own. They come out of their internships provisionally licensed and able to begin working, as long as they pass their license exams. By contrast, counselors, have to find a way to put together 4000 hours in a system where very few people or institutions have any incentives to help us. When we do find a placement, there are not many clients given to us because we are merely "pre-licensed" and cannot accept insurance. Also, the licensed counselors get first choice of the direct pay (cash) clients.  Looking at this scenario is similar to observing a broken food chain;  the weakest members at the end of the chain are getting forced into extinction.

I hope you will help us save the newest Counselors,

Margot Schultz