Atheists & Agnostics

There were a list of approved counselors, but the Judges essentially assigned them on a rotating basis. Counselor 1 would take the first client, counselor 2 would take the second, etc. As long as they were certified to perform the specific type of counseling being ordered, the next counselor on the list was chosen. I don't know how hard it would have been to request a change, but I honestly never saw it - the judicial system is intimidating to most people, especially the poor, and there are very few who want to risk their freedom over a court order. And the Public Defender system is so over-worked and underpaid that most defendants are lucky to even meet their attorney before attending court for the first time - many only met their attorney in person for the first time at the sentencing (or other adjudication hearing), and there's barely time for the attorney to even explain the process, let alone to advise their client that they may have a choice in counselor.

In my experience, when the court ordered counseling (whether it was one of the regular Magistrate or District Courts, or one of the specialty courts), they'd look on the list to see who was up next and assign them the case. There were exceptions made for cases involving psycho-sexual evaluations or other extreme cases, but otherwise, regular counseling for alcohol or drug addiction or for domestic violence situations or for guardianship/conservatorship cases was divied up among the approved counselors.

I suspect that different jurisdictions do it differently, depending on local or state statutes, budget situations, or political climate, so what you may have experienced is not necessarily the norm in all jurisdictions.