I have worked in the mental health field for 10 years and have had my license for over 4 years.  I have supervised many interns in the time that I have been a supervisor, most all of whom were from Radford University.  The interns have come from the both the Counselor Education program and the Clinical Psychology program.  I have found the interns to be on similar footing with respect to the knowledge and experience they possess when they enter their internships.  I have also hired clinicians who came from both programs.  I have found the students from the clinical program to have superior ability in some areas of counseling, such as diagnosing and testing.  I have found the Counselor Ed students to have more knowledge about substance use and addiction disorders. 

I support the petition to allow students who have graduated from the Clinical psychology program to be permitted to be pursue licensure in the Commonwealth of Virginia.  If the knowledge and skills the students are learning is comparable, then I believe students should be permitted to pursue the same opportunities.  It is incumbent on each student to pass the licensure test and prove him- or herself sufficiently trained.  Please consider amending the rules and regulations concerning the licensure process in Virginia.