The Counseling Compact. Your license should travel with you.
Thirty-nine jurisdictions have signed on, with Pennsylvania next. Nine states are actually issuing the privilege to practice. California, home to more counselors than almost anywhere, is not one of them. Every two months we pick one thing worth fixing and put our time, our voice, and your sponsorship behind it. This campaign, it is this.
What you need to know about the Compact
What the Compact does
A licensed professional counselor with a full, unencumbered license in a member state can apply for a privilege to practice in any other live member state, in person or by telehealth, without a second full license. You keep your home license. You follow the rules of the state where the client sits.
What it does not do
It is not a national license. It does not apply to associates, provisional, or supervised licenses. It does not cover MFTs or social workers (those professions have their own compacts). It does nothing for you if your home state has not joined.
Why we care
Associates spend years earning hours toward a license that, in California, stops at the state line. A client who moves, a clinician who moves, a family split across states: all of it breaks. The Compact is the fix that already exists. California just has to join it.
Where things stand
Nine states are live and issuing privileges. Thirty-nine jurisdictions (38 states + DC) have enacted the Compact, with Pennsylvania due later this year. California has not joined.
| Status | Jurisdictions | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| Live, issuing privileges | Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Ohio, Tennessee (Sept 1, 2026), Wyoming (Aug 31, 2026) | Full-license holders who live there can apply now through CompactConnect and practice in the other eight member states. |
| Enacted, not yet live | 29 more states + District of Columbia | Law is passed; the state board is still building rules, fees, FBI background checks, and data systems. |
| Joining | Pennsylvania (enacted July 2026, member later in 2026) | Same as above once formal membership starts. |
| Not a member | California, New York, Illinois, Oregon, Michigan, among others | No privilege in or out; a full California license is still required to see clients located in California. |
Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Ohio, Tennessee (Sept 1, 2026), Wyoming (Aug 31, 2026)
Full-license holders who live there can apply now through CompactConnect and practice in the other eight member states.
29 more states + District of Columbia
Law is passed; the state board is still building rules, fees, FBI background checks, and data systems.
Pennsylvania (enacted July 2026, member later in 2026)
Same as above once formal membership starts.
California, New York, Illinois, Oregon, Michigan, among others
No privilege in or out; a full California license is still required to see clients located in California.
California specifically
AB 2566 (Wilson, 2024), sponsored by CALPCC, would have made California a member. It did not become law. As of this writing there is no enacted California statute, and the Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) is not a Compact participant. Only LPCCs would be covered even if California joined; APCCs and other associates are not eligible under any state's membership.
Official links and primary sources
Direct official portals from the Counseling Compact Commission and state regulatory bodies. Links open in a new tab.
Official commission authority and legal bylaws.
Updated directly by the Commission.
Direct clinician portal for member state privileges.
State-specific fees and licensing board liaisons.
Legislative templates and institutional support letters.
The last official California legislative analysis (May 16, 2024).
How to advocate
Five things a clinician can do during this campaign, in order of effort. Each action takes ten minutes or less.
Find your California legislators
Enter your address at findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov. You have two representatives: your Assemblymember and your State Senator.
Send the letter
We provide a short template below. Add one sentence about your own situation—an hour count, a client who moved, a job you could not take.
Tell CALPCC you want the bill back
CALPCC sponsored AB 2566. Their advocacy page is where a new bill starts.
Add your name to Commission letters of support
The Commission collects organizational and individual support statements from clinicians nationwide.
Tell your story on Unmasked Stories
Submit a first-person account through Unmasked Stories. We publish the ones that show what the state line actually costs clinicians and clients.
Letter to California Legislators
Subject: Please bring the Counseling Compact back to California Dear [Assemblymember / Senator NAME], I am a [licensed professional clinical counselor / associate professional clinical counselor] in [CITY]. Nine states are already issuing cross-state practice privileges under the Counseling Compact, and 38 states plus DC have joined. California has not. That means my license stops at the state line, and my clients lose me if they move. [ONE SENTENCE ABOUT YOUR OWN SITUATION.] AB 2566 would have fixed this in 2024. Please reintroduce Counseling Compact legislation and vote for it. Thank you, [NAME, CREDENTIAL, CITY]
Tip: Replace the bracketed sections with your personal details. Legislative staff log every unique, personal account from a constituent.
How this works
One subject every two months. We say what is broken, show where things stand, give you three things you can do in ten minutes, and ask for sponsorship. Sixty percent of what comes in funds the campaign. Forty percent funds free cross-state licensure support through the Lab for clinicians who need it. On the first of every month, we publish where every dollar went. When the two months are up, the campaign moves to the archive and the next one starts.
Direct legislative advocacy, committee outreach, organizational memberships, and bill testimony.
Free 30-minute portability consults for associates, and Compact privilege fees paid for clinicians in need.
Fund the campaign.
Every dollar given here goes to this campaign and to free licensure support through the Lab, nothing else. We publish where it went on the first of every month, line by line, in the newsletter. No overhead skimmed, no general fund.
$5,000 remaining to reach goal
Letters mailed to Assembly and Senate Business & Professions committees; a CALPCC organizational membership so the Lab sits at the sponsor's table; one Sacramento trip if a bill is introduced; follow-up letters and a published tally of replies in November.
Free 30-minute licensure-portability consults for associates (no membership required), and Compact privilege fees paid for up to ten clinicians in live states who cannot afford them.
Overage rule: If the goal is passed, the overage rolls into the next campaign. If it is missed, the split holds and the Lab covers the consults itself.
Sponsor Tiers
Choose a contribution tier. All sponsors are recognized in the monthly accounting published on the 1st.
Your name on the campaign's supporter list (or anonymous).
Above, plus the monthly funds report by email a day before it goes public.
Above, plus your name or practice featured on the Advocacy page for the campaign.
Above, plus a logo on every campaign page and an institutional mention at the campaign webinar.
Legal & Tax Disclosure
Unmasked Career Lab, LLC is a business, not a 501(c)(3). Contributions are not tax-deductible. Funds are held and reported by the LLC.
Monthly funds reports
Every dollar accounted for on the 1st of every month. No general fund skimming.
November 1, 2026 (October Report)
Counseling Compact — October 2026 Accounting
$0
Letters drafted; committee outreach initiated; campaign launched.
The Compact campaign continues through November.
December 1, 2026 (November Report & Cycle Close)
Counseling Compact — Final Accounting & Cycle Close
$0
Tally of legislative responses; Compact privilege fees disbursed.
December–January campaign announced on December 1.
Past two-month cycles
First campaign in progress
The Counseling Compact (October–November 2026) is the inaugural advocacy campaign of Unmasked Career Lab. When this cycle concludes on November 30, its full itemized accounting and legislative record will be permanently archived here.
Mandatory Advocacy & Legal Disclosure
Unmasked Career Lab is not a law firm or a licensing board; confirm your own eligibility with your board. Contributions are not tax-deductible; Unmasked Career Lab, LLC is not a 501(c)(3). No health information is collected anywhere on this page.
Unmasked Career Lab LLC · California BBS APCC #17625 · Non-Clinical Operational Advocacy
