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The Counseling Compact is a recent Mental Health advancement for providers who may wish to be licensed in multiple states. Legislation had postponed the movement until they had the approval of ten US states. In most recent news, Nebraska agreed to move forward with the Counseling Compact which provided legislation with the ten states necessary to pursue.
This contract, mutually agreed upon between the states, will allow mental health providers to practice within those states, physically, or virtually without having to independently apply for licensure outside of your base. It’s crucial that professionals understand the compact as well as the new provisions. In this blog post, we’ll take a closer look at the Counseling Compact. We’ll highlight some of its benefits, how you can get involved, and we’ll discuss why this could be important to you.
The Counseling Compact is a multi-state license that allows counselors to practice in any participating state, without having to obtain a license in that state individually. The Compact is like the national driver’s license, in that it allows counselors to travel to any participating state and practice on their license without even having to let the jurisdiction know that you’re there.
The Compact is available to counselors who are licensed in their primary state of residence, and who meet the eligibility requirements of the Compact. In order to obtain the Compact license, counselors must apply to their primary state’s counseling licensure board, along with submitting a fee. Once the application is approved, the counselor will be issued a Compact license. It is not yet defined as to how long the license will allow you to practice before renewal as there are many details that need to be further defined by the commission. Currently, only Mental Health Counselors are eligible for participation in the compact. We will know more once the by-laws have been decided upon.
The Compact provides an important level of flexibility and convenience. In addition, it may also provide a mechanism for counselors to report complaints and disciplinary actions, which can help to protect the public and ensure that providers are held accountable for their actions. One of the potential cons is providers that need only licensure in one of the states within the compact. Perhaps you don’t want to be licensed in all those other states, but you only want to be licensed in Nebraska. You may now have to pay the complete fee to be a part of the compact in order to practice in the state of your choosing.
You can get involved by attending your state board meetings and staying active in legislative activity so that your voice is heard when changes are being made.
Please review the links below for more information found specifically for providers who may wish to know more about what’s to come.