How interstate compacts let therapists practice across state lines, where each one stands in 2026, and what you can do right now.
To provide teletherapy across state lines, you generally need to be licensed or authorized in the state where your client is physically located at the time of the session. Interstate compacts are making this easier for some professions, but they are at very different stages, and marriage and family therapists still have no compact at all.
This is one of the most confusing and fast-moving areas in private practice. A compact your state has joined may not actually let you practice yet, and the rules differ by profession. This guide explains how PSYPACT and the counseling and social work compacts work, where each one stands, and what you can do today.
If you are building a virtual or hybrid practice, this fits into the bigger picture we cover in our guide to how to start a private therapy practice. At Mental Health IT Solutions, we help therapists grow practices that reach clients across every state they are licensed to serve.
Licensure rules and compact status change frequently, and this article reflects the landscape as of September 2026. Nothing here is legal advice. Always verify current status with the official compact sites, PSYPACT at psypact.gov, the Counseling Compact at counselingcompact.gov, and the Social Work Licensure Compact at swcompact.org, and confirm with your licensing board before practicing.
The one rule that governs teletherapy across state lines
The client’s physical location at the time of the session determines which state’s license or authorization you need, not where you are sitting.
This single rule is the foundation of everything else. Being licensed in your own state does not allow you to treat a client who is physically located in another state, even over video. Telehealth does not extend your license across state lines by itself. If your client travels to another state, or lives there, you generally need to be licensed or authorized in that state to see them there.
That is the problem interstate compacts are designed to solve. Instead of holding a separate full license in every state, an eligible clinician can use a compact to gain authorization to practice in other member states. How well that works depends entirely on your profession and on which states are actually live.
Compacts explained: enacted is not the same as live
A compact moves through two stages. A state first enacts it into law, then later becomes operational and begins issuing privileges. You can only use a compact between two states that are both operational.
This distinction trips up more clinicians than any other. Seeing your state on a list of compact members is not the same as being able to use the compact. A state can pass the legislation years before it finishes the technical and regulatory work needed to issue or accept privileges. Always check operational status, not just membership, and remember that both your home state and the client’s state must be live for the compact to help.
Compacts also share some common rules. They generally require a full, independent, unencumbered license, so associates and pre-licensed clinicians usually do not qualify, and they never override the scope-of-practice laws of the state where the client is located.
PSYPACT: the compact for psychologists
PSYPACT is the most established behavioral health compact, operational since 2020, and as of September 2026 it covers about 40 states plus the District of Columbia.
PSYPACT, the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact, lets an eligible psychologist provide telepsychology across participating states without a separate license in each one. You maintain your home state license, obtain an E.Passport from ASPPB, and apply for the Authority to Practice Interjurisdictional Telepsychology, or APIT, which covers telehealth. A separate temporary authorization allows limited in-person practice in other member states.
PSYPACT is limited to psychologists. It generally requires a doctoral-level, independent psychology license, so it does not cover master’s-level clinicians, counselors, social workers, or marriage and family therapists. A few large states, including California and New York, are not yet participating, so verify the current map at psypact.gov before you rely on it.
The Counseling Compact: for LPCs and equivalent counselors
The Counseling Compact covers licensed professional counselors and equivalent titles such as LMHC, LPCC, LCPC, and LCMHC. As of September 2026, about 40 jurisdictions have enacted it, but only nine are live and issuing privileges.
As of September 2026, the states actively issuing and accepting privileges are Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Ohio, Tennessee, and Wyoming. The remaining member states have enacted the compact but are not yet operational, so counselors there cannot use it yet.
The compact uses a privilege to practice model. If your home state is live, you apply through the compact’s system, currently CompactConnect, pay a small commission fee plus any remote-state fee, and receive a privilege to practice in another live state. You need a full, independent counseling license to qualify, and both states must be operational. Check the current list at counselingcompact.gov, since new states go live regularly.
The Social Work Licensure Compact: activated but not yet issuing licenses
The Social Work Licensure Compact covers social workers, including LBSW, LMSW, and LCSW licenses. As of September 2026 it has been enacted in about 30 states and activated, but it is not yet issuing multistate licenses.
The compact reached its activation threshold in 2024, and its commission has been building the rules and technology needed to run it. Issuance of multistate licenses is expected in the coming year or so, but no social worker can practice under compact authority yet. Until it goes live, social workers who want to practice in another state still rely on licensure by endorsement, applying to each state individually.
Unlike the counseling model, the social work compact is designed around a multistate license rather than a per-state privilege. Watch for launch updates at swcompact.org, and if you need to practice across state lines now, pursue endorsement rather than waiting.
What about marriage and family therapists?
There is currently no interstate compact for marriage and family therapists, so LMFTs must use traditional licensure by endorsement to practice in another state.
The profession’s national association has focused on improving license portability and endorsement rather than creating a compact. For now, an LMFT who wants to see clients located in another state generally needs to be licensed in that state. If you are an LMFT building a virtual practice, plan your licensing around the specific states where your clients live.
Where each compact stands in 2026
Here is a quick summary of the landscape as of September 2026. Because this changes often, treat it as a starting point and verify the current status for your profession.
| Profession | Compact | Status (as of September 2026) |
| Psychologists | PSYPACT | Operational since 2020, about 40 states plus DC issuing authorizations |
| Counselors (LPC and equivalents) | Counseling Compact | Enacted in about 40 jurisdictions, 9 live and issuing privileges |
| Social workers (LCSW and others) | Social Work Licensure Compact | Enacted in about 30 states and activated, not yet issuing licenses |
| Marriage and family therapists | None | No compact, use licensure by endorsement |
How to legally offer teletherapy across state lines right now
Until your compact is live where you need it, the reliable path is to be licensed or authorized in every state where your clients are located.
A practical approach:
- Identify where your clients actually are, based on their physical location during sessions, not their mailing address or where they grew up.
- Check whether your profession’s compact is operational in both your home state and the client’s state. If it is, apply for the privilege or authorization.
- If the compact is not live, pursue licensure by endorsement in the states you need, and if you bill insurance, plan to get credentialed with payers in those states as well.
- Keep your home state license active and unencumbered, since every compact depends on it.
- If your state has enacted a compact but is not yet live, get your documentation ready now so you can apply the day it opens.
- Verify every step with the relevant state licensing board.
Turn multi-state licensure into more clients
Being authorized to practice in more states only helps if clients in those states can actually find you.
Expanding your licensed footprint widens your potential market, but visibility does not come automatically. To attract teletherapy clients across the states you serve, you need a strong online presence in each one. A clear, well-designed therapist website and location-aware SEO for therapists help you rank for searches in every state where you are licensed, on Google and in AI search.
Reach clients across every state you serve
We build fast, conversion-focused websites for therapists, designed to attract clients wherever you are licensed. Explore website design and development
A wider license map is only worth as much as the clients who can find you.
Get found in every state you are licensed in
Our mental health SEO services help your practice rank on Google and in AI search across your service area. See our mental health SEO services
Frequently asked questions
Can I see a therapy client in another state over telehealth?
Only if you are licensed or authorized to practice in the state where the client is physically located during the session. Your home state license alone does not cover clients in other states, even over video.
What determines which license I need for teletherapy?
The client’s physical location at the time of the session. If your client is in another state when you meet, you generally need to be licensed or authorized in that state, not just in your own.
Which states are in PSYPACT?
As of September 2026, about 40 states plus the District of Columbia participate in PSYPACT, and it is operational for eligible psychologists. Because the map changes, verify the current list at psypact.gov.
Which states are live in the Counseling Compact?
As of September 2026, nine jurisdictions are issuing privileges: Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Ohio, Tennessee, and Wyoming. About 40 have enacted the compact, but the rest are not yet operational. Check counselingcompact.gov for updates.
Is the Social Work Compact issuing licenses yet?
Not yet. As of September 2026 the Social Work Licensure Compact is activated and enacted in about 30 states, but it is not issuing multistate licenses. Issuance is expected in the coming year or so. Until then, use licensure by endorsement.
Is there a compact for marriage and family therapists?
No. There is currently no interstate compact for LMFTs. To practice in another state, a marriage and family therapist must obtain licensure by endorsement in that state.
What is the difference between an enacted and an operational compact?
An enacted compact has been passed into law by a state. An operational compact is actually issuing or accepting privileges. You can only use a compact between two states that are both operational, so always check the live status, not just membership.
Practice across state lines with confidence
Teletherapy across state lines comes down to one principle and one habit: you need authorization where your client is located, and you need to verify the current, operational status of your profession’s compact before you rely on it. PSYPACT is well established for psychologists, the Counseling Compact is live in a growing handful of states, the Social Work Compact is close but not yet issuing, and marriage and family therapists still use endorsement. Know where you stand, then build the visibility that turns a wider license map into a fuller caseload.
Ready to grow a multi-state teletherapy practice?
Mental Health IT Solutions helps therapists reach clients across every state they serve, with websites and SEO built for the mental health field. Let us help. Contact our team for a free consultation