As someone who recently got licensed back in November 2011, I know first hand how difficult it was to get licensed due to the time it took for paperwork to be reviewed or for there to be any confirmation that paperwork was received by the Board of Counseling.

I strongly support this petition to allow requests for licensure supervision to be backdated because it is unreasonable to expect candidates for licensure to be waiting nearly 2 to 3 months before they hear confirmation of approval for licensure supervision. During the time candidates await approval of their licensure supervision, they are working hard to accrue hours towards licensure. However, none of those hours will count because the approval date of their licensure supervsion is often dated months later than when their paperwork was first submitted. Additionally, if a submittal for approval of licensure supervision is rejected or needs additional information and this is not communicated in a timely manner to the candidate, then the candidate has lost even more possible hours to accrue towards licensure. This is nearly an injustice to individuals who have worked hard and paid significant supervision and graduate school fees to reach this point in their licensure process. Furthermore, it reflects poorly on the State's Board of Counseling and indicates significant institutional issues.

There are many possible ways to imrpove and streamline the overall licensure process, including having an electronic submittal system that will ensure paperwork is submitted correctly and confirm that an application has been received. It is high time that our Board of Counseling enter the digital age and take advantage of technology that can improve the professionalism and quality of the Board of Counseling.