Oregon is consistently ranked one of the worst states in the country when it comes to access to mental health care. And fewer than one in five mental health care providers in the state is a person of color. Rep. Janelle Bynum has proposed a bill to make several policy changes in order to increase recruiting and retention of mental health care clinicians of color.
One of those changes would be to reduce the number of direct supervision hours with clients that clinicians are required to complete to get their license. Currently, counselors in Oregon are required to complete 2,400 direct supervision hours with clients. In comparison, the state of Washington only requires half that. Bynum’s bill proposes that Oregon reduces its required hours to 1,200 to be in line with Washington. Proponents of the bill say that change would reduce the barriers to becoming licensed in Oregon and could result in more diversity among clinicians.
Keleigh Blount is a licensed mental health counselor and an assistant professor of counseling at George Fox University. Gianna Russo-Mitma is a licensed marriage and family therapist and a board member of Coalition of Oregon Professional Associations for Counseling and Therapy. They join us.