The Counseling Compact is live for licensees in Arizona and Minnesota, marking a major milestone in improving access to licensed professional counseling services across state lines.
Arizona and Minnesota are the first two states to complete the technical and regulatory steps necessary for implementation, including secure data sharing and system testing.
Currently, only:
- Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs) licensed by Arizona and who live in Arizona can apply for the privilege to practice in Minnesota.
- Licensed Professional Clinical Counselors (LPCCs) licensed by Minnesota and who live in Minnesota can apply for the privilege to practice in Arizona.
Across the country, 37 additional states and the District of Columbia are actively completing the steps needed to begin issuing and receiving privileges under the Counseling Compact. Readiness efforts may include:
- Adopting rules and establishing fees
- Implementing federal criminal background checks with FBI authorization
- Preparing IT systems to provide data in the required format
- Assigning and training staff for system use and customer support
- Conducting full testing of data upload and validation processes
- Creating an application process to convert a privilege to a home state license
The Counseling Compact Commission will add states and the District of Columbia to the Compact as they meet all requirements. Licensees with questions about participation are encouraged to contact their jurisdictional licensing board directly.
The Counseling Compact recognizes that the timeline for compliance may vary, and some states may require additional time to complete all steps. Throughout the process, the Compact remains committed to providing guidance, resources, and support to help states successfully prepare for participation.
Licensees in Arizona and Minnesota can use the link below to register and apply.
APPLY HERE
Verification of Privileges
FAQ
As soon as your privilege number appears on your dashboard, you can start practicing in the remote state. Your privilege number should appear almost instantaneously. If your transaction is completed successfully and you do not see the information on your personal dashboard, contact the compact info@counselingcompact.gov.
No. The Commission is not issuing hard copies of documents. You can print a verification document from the link at the top of your dashboard. Entities can also verify your privilege by visiting https://app.compactconnect.org/Search.
The Counseling Compact does not regulate advertising in the member states. Privilege holders should review the applicable law in each state to ensure their compliance with state law and regulation
Visit https://compactconnect.org/ for the latest updates on the progress of the database and website build.
Please read the FAQ page for more information about practicing under the Compact.
For information on the relationship between the Counseling Compact and counselor professional identity, please refer to this information sheet.
Si desea solicitar privilegios para practicar bajo el Counseling Compact, debe esperar para la apertura 2025. Lea la página de preguntas frecuentes para obtener más información sobre como practicar bajo el Pacto.
The Counseling Compact is an interstate compact, or a contract among states, allowing professional counselors licensed and residing in a compact member state to practice in other compact member states without need for multiple licenses.
This graphic covers the basics.
Here is more information about the process of developing the compact.
You must be a professional counselor licensed by a Member State, regardless of the title used by that State, to independently assess, diagnose, and treat behavioral health conditions.
Recent graduates, who are completing hours under supervision, will not be eligible for privileges regardless if your license title is LPC.
Professional counselors who meet uniform licensure requirements are able to quickly obtain a privilege to practice, which is equivalent to a license to practice counseling in another state.
The Compact creates a shared interstate licensure data system, allowing for near-instant verification of licensure status. Through the data system, a privilege to practice can be obtained in a matter of minutes.
The data system also enhances public protection by ensuring that member states share investigative and disciplinary information with one another.
The Compact will help counselors by affording them greater ease of mobility, cutting drastically the time needed for authorization to practice in a new state. The Compact will also create new market opportunities for counselors.
The Compact will help clients by improving continuity of care when clients or counselors travel or relocate.
The Compact will help the public by ensuring that member states rapidly share investigative and disciplinary information and cooperate in investigations of misconduct by practitioners, when necessary.
The Counseling Compact works together with universal license recognition laws to increase license portability.
You can learn more about the compact on our toolkit page and our FAQ page.
El Counseling Compact es un pacto interestatal, o un contrato entre estados, que permite a consejeros con licencia residentes de un estado miembro del compacto ejercer en otros estados miembros sin necesidad de obtener licencias múltiples.
Los consejeros profesionales que cumplen con los requisitos de la licencia pueden obtener rápidamente un privilegio para ejercer, que es equivalente a una licencia para ejercer la consejería en otro estado.
El Pacto crea un sistema de datos de licencia interestatal compartido, lo que permite una verificación casi instantánea del estado de la licencia. A través del sistema de datos, se puede obtener un privilegio para practicar en cuestión de minutos.
El sistema de datos también mejora la protección pública al garantizar que los estados miembros compartan información disciplinaria y de investigación entre sí.
El Pacto ayudará a los consejeros a brindándoles una mayor facilidad de movilidad entre estados, reduciendo el tiempo necesario de autorización para poder ejercer en un nuevo estado. El Compact también creará nuevas oportunidades de mercado para los consejeros.
El Pacto ayudará a mejorar la continuidad de la atención cuando los clientes o consejeros viajen o se muden.
El Pacto ayudará al público a garantizar que los estados miembros compartan rápidamente información de investigación y disciplinaria y cooperen en las investigaciones de mala conducta de los profesionales, cuando sea necesario.
El ‘Counseling Compact’ trabaja junto con las leyes de reconocimiento de licencias universales para aumentar la portabilidad de las licencias.