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Subcommittee moves bill to bring positive behavior support facilitators under Board of Counseling oversight
Summary
SB 210 would add positive behavior support facilitators to the professions overseen by the Board of Counseling, enabling supervised practice and clearer standards; witnesses said the work is evidence-based, currently funded by grants and waivers, and the subcommittee voted to report the measure.
A Senate subcommittee voted to report SB 210 after practitioners and provider groups described positive behavior support as an evidence-based set of interventions for people with developmental disabilities and other populations.
Sponsor Senator DeStef said the bill adds positive behavior support facilitators to professions governed by the Board of Counseling, placing them under approved supervision to provide screening, care coordination, crisis de-escalation, training and intervention documentation. Monica Chandler, a positive behavior support facilitator, described standardized curricula, ethics codes and training currently offered through VCU and grant-funded programs and said licensing under the Board of Counseling would allow broader billing and service stability.
The Virginia Network of Private Providers and other supporters said the change would provide security for the practice beyond grant cycles. Committee members noted no fiscal impact was reported. A motion and roll call recorded a majority in favor and the bill was reported out of subcommittee.
