TITLE 18. PROFESSIONAL AND OCCUPATIONAL LICENSING

BOARD OF COUNSELING

Initial Agency Notice

Title of Regulation: 18VAC115-20. Regulations Governing the Practice of Professional Counseling.

Statutory Authority: §§ 54.1-2400 and 54.1-3500 of the Code of Virginia.

Name of Petitioner: Marva Michelle Baskerville.

Nature of Petitioner's Request: The petitioner requests that the Board of Counseling revise 18VAC115-20-70 to establish a pathway for licensed substance abuse treatment providers (LSATPs) to become licensed professional counselors (LPCs). A similar pathway exists for LPCs to become LSATPs without an examination under 18VAC115-60-90 C.

Agency Plan for Disposition of Request: The petition for rulemaking will be published in the Virginia Register of Regulations on November 18, 2024. The petition will also be published on the Virginia Regulatory Town Hall at www.townhall.virginia.gov to receive public comment, which opens November 18, 2024, and closes December 18, 2024. The board will consider the petition and all comments in support or opposition at the next meeting after the close of public comment. That meeting is currently scheduled for January 24, 2025. The petitioner will be notified of the board's decision after that meeting.

Public Comment Deadline: December 18, 2024.

Agency Contact: Jaime Hoyle, Executive Director, Board of Counseling, 9960 Mayland Drive, Suite 300, Henrico, VA 23233, telephone (804) 367-4406, or email jaime.hoyle@dhp.virginia.gov.

VA.R. Doc. No. PFR25-15; Filed October 16, 2024, 4:06 p.m.