Counseling Compact: Can I See a Client Who Moved States?

Reviewed by: Matthew Sexton, LCSW

Yes: as of October 1, 2026, counselors who hold the license type the Commission lists for their state and live in one of 10 Counseling Compact states (Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Wyoming) can apply, through CompactConnect, for a privilege to practice in another of those states, which the Commission says improves “continuity of care when clients or counselors travel or relocate.” That matters because the compact’s model law places counseling where the client is located during the session, so the counselor must hold a license or privilege in the client’s new state. It typically does not cover LCSWs or LMFTs. The Commission’s home page, FAQ and fee table, checked October 3, 2026, show who may apply and the listed fees: $30 per privilege plus each state’s fee. They do not show whether an insurer will pay. Confirm eligibility with the home-state board first.

Key takeaways

• Counseling happens where the client is during the session, per the model law.
• The Commission lists 10 live states as of October 1, 2026.
• Counselors apply state by state, per the Commission’s FAQ.
• LCSWs and LMFTs typically are not eligible, per the FAQ.

What Does a Privilege to Practice Grant?

A privilege is a legal authorization to practice in another member state, which the model law defines as “equivalent to a license.” The Commission’s home page describes the compact as a contract among states that lets counselors licensed and living in a member state practice in other member states without multiple licenses. The FAQ separates the two: the home state grants the license, and each other member state grants a privilege after the counselor applies through the compact.

What Happens When an Existing Client Moves?

The client’s location decides where counseling happens. The model law says counseling “occurs in the State where the client is located at the time of the counseling services,” and the FAQ requires a license or privilege in that state. One caution: the FAQ’s answer about a client who moves still says the compact “can only be used between Arizona and Minnesota as of September 30, 2025”; the home page carries the October 1, 2026 notice and the list of 10 live states.

A privilege brings the counselor under the remote state’s rules; the model law requires adherence to “the laws and regulations of the Remote State.” The Oklahoma board says its LPCs can use privileges by telehealth or in person in other live member states. Two limits apply: the FAQ says the compact cannot be used in non-member states, and a counselor whose home state is not a member cannot use it at all.

Which States Are Issuing Privileges Now?

The Commission’s home page, which carries the October 1, 2026 Oklahoma go-live notice, lists Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Wyoming. The Commission announced that Tennessee would begin issuing privileges September 1, 2026. The Tennessee Department of Health says it began accepting privilege applications that day, though another line on the same page still says Tennessee has no anticipated start date for active participation; Oklahoma followed October 1, per the Commission. The Commission says 29 more states and the District of Columbia are still completing the steps to begin issuing and receiving privileges. A state joining is not the same as a counselor holding a privilege. The FAQ says each counselor must apply in each state.

Who Is Eligible to Apply?

Eligibility turns on the license and on where the counselor lives. The FAQ limits applications to counselors with an unencumbered license to practice independently at the highest level, excludes roles that require supervision (student, assistant or provisional), and requires a license in the home state, where the counselor primarily lives. The model law adds no encumbrance or restriction on any license or privilege in the previous two years. The eligible license is the LPC-MHSP in Tennessee, per the Commission, and the LPC in Oklahoma, per the Oklahoma board. The FAQ points psychologists to PsyPact and says marriage and family therapists have no compact.

How Does a Counselor Apply, and What Does It Cost?

Applications run through CompactConnect (FAQ), and the licensee must complete the application personally, per the Commission. Each privilege has a $30 administrative fee plus the state’s fee, and a required jurisprudence exam may add a state fee; the fee table lists Oklahoma’s privilege total at $30 and Tennessee’s at $210. The FAQ says counselors owe continuing education only to the home state, and the fee table shows which states require a jurisprudence exam. The Commission’s FAQ says entities can verify a privilege at app.compactconnect.org/Search. A privilege expires with the home-state license as it stood when the privilege was issued, per the Commission.

What Does the Compact Not Settle?

The compact is a contract among states about who may practice, and the Commission says individual insurers’ policies “are not yet known to the Compact” (FAQ). Its home page tells counselors to check with their employer, online platform and insurance company before applying. MWS has also explained why Couch Commons has no paid therapist placement.

This explainer is confined to the compact’s own documents and two state boards. Nothing here has been checked against any state’s telehealth rules, which the compact text does not summarize, or against a client who is only temporarily in another state; the home page speaks of clients who “travel or relocate” without detail.

Takeaway

A client’s move does not, by itself, settle whether care can continue. Under the compact’s rule, the question moves to the client’s new state, where the Commission says the counselor needs a license or a privilege; the Commission encourages licensees with questions to contact their licensing board. Confirm the details with the home-state board and the Counseling Compact Commission.

Frequently asked questions

Can an LCSW or LMFT use the Counseling Compact?

Typically not. The Commission’s FAQ says LCSWs and LMFTs usually are not eligible and points social workers to the Social Work Licensure Compact, which says multistate licenses are not yet being issued.

Does a privilege cover a client who moves to a state that is not in the compact?

No. The Commission’s FAQ says the compact cannot be used to practice in non-member states.

When can a counselor start seeing a client under a new privilege?

As soon as the privilege number appears on the counselor’s dashboard, per the Commission’s FAQ.

Will insurance pay for sessions under a privilege?

The compact does not answer that. The Commission says insurers’ policies are not yet known to the Compact (FAQ) and tells counselors to check with their insurance company before applying (home page).

This article is general information for clinicians, not legal, billing or clinical advice.

Sources

All checked October 3, 2026.

• Commission home page: https://counselingcompact.gov/
• Commission FAQ: https://counselingcompact.gov/faq/
• Compact model law (PDF): https://counselingcompact.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Final_Counseling_Compact_3.1.22.pdf
• Commission fee table: https://counselingcompact.gov/compact-fees-and-jurisprudence-exam/
• Commission, Tennessee post: https://counselingcompact.gov/tennessee-will-become-ninth-state/
• Commission, Oklahoma post: https://counselingcompact.gov/10-states-now-offering-privileges/
• Oklahoma Board of Behavioral Health Licensure: https://oklahoma.gov/behavioralhealth/counseling-compact.html
• Tennessee Department of Health: https://www.tn.gov/content/tn/health/licensure/pct.html
• Social Work Licensure Compact: https://swcompact.org/