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Counseling Compact

The Counseling Compact lets licensed professional counselors practice across member states under one privilege — the "Counseling Compact Privilege to Practice." It covers the various state-specific names for the master's-level clinical counseling credential (LPC, LMHC, LCPC, LPCC, and others) and is in active rollout.

Who can apply

The Counseling Compact is open to professional counselors who hold an active, unencumbered license in a member state. The specific license names vary by state: LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor), LMHC (Licensed Mental Health Counselor), LCPC (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor), LPCC (Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor), LCMHC, and similar designations.

Applicants must have passed the National Counselor Examination (NCE) or the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE), have a master's or doctoral degree in counseling from a CACREP-accredited program (or equivalent), and have no current disciplinary action or license restriction. The privilege is tied to home-state residency.

Member states

The Counseling Compact has been enacted in 39+ jurisdictions as of 2026-05 and is in active operational rollout — most member states are now issuing privileges.

Members: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming.

last_verified: 2026-05 · sourced from data/compacts.json

How to apply

Applications go through the Counseling Compact Commission's portal. You verify your home state license, pay the privilege fee, and select the member states you want practice rights in.

Apply via the Counseling Compact →

Fees and processing time

The compact privilege fee varies by state (typically $50-$200). Processing time varies; many states are now issuing privileges within a few business days once application materials are complete. Confirm current fees and timing directly with the Counseling Compact Commission. last_verified: 2026-05.

How TeleVerify uses the Counseling Compact

When your NPI lookup returns LPC, LMHC, LCPC, LPCC, LCMHC, or similar credentials, TeleVerify auto-detects Counseling Compact eligibility and asks you to confirm your home state and which member-state privileges you've activated. Once confirmed, sessions where the patient is in a privileged member state are classified as compliant_compact. Because the compact is mid-rollout, we suggest re-checking your profile quarterly.

Frequently asked questions

Which counseling credentials are covered?
Master's-level clinical counseling licenses, under whatever name your state uses: LPC, LMHC, LCPC, LPCC, LCMHC, LPCMH, LMHP, LPC-MH, CMHC, and similar designations. Marriage and family therapists (LMFTs) are not covered by the Counseling Compact — they have a separate compact pathway in some states.
How is the Counseling Compact different from the ASWB Social Work Compact?
The Counseling Compact covers professional counseling licenses. The ASWB Compact covers social work licenses (LCSW, LMSW, LSW). A practitioner with both credentials would enroll in both compacts independently.
What if I'm dual-licensed as both an LMHC and an LMFT?
Your LMHC scope is covered by the Counseling Compact (where the state is a member). Your LMFT scope is not — LMFT cross-state practice requires individual state licenses or the LMFT-specific compact (where it exists; the Marriage and Family Therapy Compact is still in early enactment as of 2026-05 and not yet tracked separately by TeleVerify).
How does TeleVerify know I have compact privileges?
You confirm in your provider profile which member states you've activated privileges in. We capture the attestation and timestamp it on every compliance verification record.
Is New York a member?
No. New York, California, Massachusetts, Oregon, and several other states are not Counseling Compact members as of 2026-05. Check counselingcompact.gov for the latest status.
What if my home state hasn't started issuing privileges yet?
Even if your home state has enacted the compact, you can't request a privilege until your state's licensing board has launched its issuance process. TeleVerify tracks the rollout status per state and surfaces it on your profile.
Does the compact extend my scope of practice?
No. Your scope of practice is set by each state's counseling licensure law. The compact only extends your geographic practice rights — it does not, for example, grant prescribing authority or expand your supervisory scope.
⚖️ Reference information — not legal advice. Always confirm current requirements with your compliance officer, state licensing board, or a telehealth attorney before relying on this for clinical or business decisions.

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