The American Counseling Association and licensed professional counselors nationwide are celebrating the signing of New Hampshire Senate Bill 397 in support of the Counseling Compact, which will authorize counselors to practice across state lines once enacted.
The dream of many licensed professional counselors to practice across state lines moves toward reality as Governor Christopher Sununu signed into law his state’s Counseling Compact legislation.
This milestone marks the fifteenth state to sign the Counseling Compact into law, allowing professional counselors licensed and residing in a compact member state to practice in other compact member states without the need for multiple licenses.
“With New Hampshire signing on to the Counseling Compact as our 15th state, ACA has exceeded its expectations at what we thought could be accomplished this year,” said Richard Yep, ACA CEO, “Without a doubt, the swiftness with which the Counseling Compact has been enacted indicates that public policymakers understand how this legislation will fill critical mental health service gaps for their constituents. ACA applauds the foresight and compassion of the 15 state legislatures and governors who have approved the Counseling Compact.”
Funded and created by the American Counseling Association, the Counseling Compact was finalized in December 2020 and has now been passed by the legislatures in Georgia, Maryland, Alabama, Mississippi, West Virginia, Utah, Maine, Florida, Kentucky, Nebraska, Tennessee, Colorado, Louisiana, Ohio and New Hampshire. Currently, the Counseling Compact has been introduced in 21 states this legislative session.
Compacts provide a pathway for counselors to move seamlessly from one state to another through an agreement among states to recognize another state’s license. Previously, counselors have had difficulty transferring their licenses from one state/jurisdiction to another because of the independent nature of jurisdictional licensing rules and regulations. There was little consistency regarding the requirements for licensure and these varying requirements make it difficult to transfer one’s license.
The Counseling Compact enables professional counselors who meet uniform licensure requirements to quickly obtain a privilege to practice, which is equivalent to a license to practice counseling in another state.
For more information, please visit CounselingCompact.org