Therapy Across State Lines: Licensing Status by State

Therapy licenses are issued state by state, and the rule that surprises most people is this: what matters is where you are during the session, not where your therapist lives. If you move, travel, or split the year between two states, whether a therapist can keep working with you depends on their licenses and on a set of interstate agreements called compacts. This page tracks the status of the three compacts that matter most for therapy, for every state.

The three compacts in plain words

• Counseling Compact (licensed professional counselors such as LPC, LMHC, LPCC). A counselor licensed and living in a member state can get a privilege to practice in other member states. It only works when both states are live, meaning they have finished setting up and are issuing privileges. Being a member is not the same as being live.
• PSYPACT (licensed psychologists). Lets a psychologist with the right credential provide telehealth to clients in other PSYPACT states. It has been operating for years and covers the most states.
• Social Work Licensure Compact (social workers such as LCSW). Will allow one multistate license across member states, but it is not issuing licenses yet. The compact says setup takes 12 to 24 months.

Other license types, such as marriage and family therapists, generally still need a separate license in each state where clients are located. Some states also have narrow exceptions, for example short transition periods after a client moves. Your state’s licensing board is the final word.

Status by state

What this means if you are looking for a therapist

• Ask a prospective therapist which states they are licensed in, and whether they hold any compact privileges.
• If you live in one state and spend long stretches in another, ask how they handle sessions while you are away.
• If your state is not live in the Counseling Compact yet, a counselor generally needs a full license in your state to see you.
• Psychologists in PSYPACT states have the broadest telehealth reach today.

For a closer look, read How Online Counseling Works. We are adding detailed guides for a small number of states, starting with Utah.

Sources

• Counseling Compact Commission, counselingcompact.gov (live states and member map)
• PSYPACT Commission, psypact.gov (final legislation by state)
• Social Work Licensure Compact, swcompact.org (member jurisdictions and current status)

This page is general education, not legal advice. Compact status changes often; we recheck it monthly. Content on this site is for educational purposes only and is not medical or mental health advice.