Missouri: Counselors Can Now Practice Across State Lines Under the Counseling Compact
Licensed counselors in Missouri can now reach patients beyond the state line. The American Counseling Association (ACA) announced on October 19 that Missouri is the latest state that can start granting privileges under the interstate Counseling Compact, allowing licensed professional counselors to practice in person in other member states, or serve out-of-state clients via telehealth, without reapplying for a license state by state.
The ACA says the compact functions much like a driver's license: participating states agree to recognize the licenses of eligible counselors from other compact states, who then receive a privilege to practice. Previously, independent jurisdictional licensing rules made it difficult for counselors to transfer their licenses when they moved or treated clients remotely across state lines.
To date, 40 states and jurisdictions have passed Counseling Compact legislation, and states already granting privileges include Arizona, Minnesota, Ohio, Louisiana, Georgia, Indiana, Arkansas, Wyoming, Tennessee and Oklahoma, with additional states expected to begin in coming months. The ACA, the world's largest association representing professional counselors with an estimated 62,000 members, played a lead role in creating the compact and invested close to $2 million in the initiative. The association calls it the biggest change in the counseling profession in 20 years, noting that an estimated 122 million people in the U.S. live in areas with mental health provider shortages, a gap cross-state practice is intended to help close, particularly for rural and remote communities. (GSM, based on the American Counseling Association announcement)
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图为密苏里州 Jefferson City 州议会大厦实景（摄于大厦维修施工期间，外立面包有施工防护）。图片来源：Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA 4.0，作者 Farragutful
