The vast majority of associates and interns who need to secure a working environment are unable to in this economic climate.

Currently, there are far too many associates who are unable to find a site offering supervision due in part to the requirement to only be able to work as an employee (W2) and in part due to lack of sites offering positions. This was an issue before COVID and has now made it exceedingly difficult to earn hours towards licensure and provide a livable wage. 

This is bottlenecking both the potential of services offered to the community and also contributing to the economic drain both in consumer expenditure and government assistance. 

While COVID has increased mental health concerns, it would be prudent to allow associates and interns to meet these needs on a cash pay basis while still being held to the ethical training and guidelines required to protect both client and therapist. 

Multiple sites which have operated well before COVID have struggled to maintain their client population. Telehealth has made it possible to continue care; however, this is not enough. These two points need to be considered together, allowing for associates and interns to hire supervisors themselves, as other states allow, at least until the economy stabilizes. 

Please move towards allowing the next generation of mental health workers an opportunity to earn hours and provide themselves a source of a living wage.