Counseling Compact
The counseling profession has struggled with barriers to delivering mental health services to clients across state lines since the conception of licensure law. Most states require counselors to be licensed in the state where the client resides. This means clients have to find a new counselor if they move out of state. It also limits telehealth options for many clients.
To address this dilemma the American Counseling Association (ACA) – in collaboration with the National Center for Interstate Compacts (NCIC) – has been working on an interstate licensure compact. This compact would create licensure portability for professional counselors – creating a way for counselors to practice in multiple states.
To explore what the interstate compact would mean for counselors, Raymond Barrett, CEO of the Telehealth Certification Institute (TCI), interviewed Dr. Lynn Linde, chief knowledge and learning officer at ACA.
Dr. Linde has over 35 years of experience as a school counselor. She is a counseling supervisor and a counselor educator. Dr. Linde presents at conferences and writes articles about ethical and legal issues – particularly for school counselors. She was the 58th president of ACA, and she has held multiple leadership and volunteer positions at the association and its entities.
In this interview, Dr. Linde explains the benefits, origins, and progress of the counseling compact. You can find out more about the interstate counseling compact at this website: Counseling Compact.