Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Jul;23(3):323-329.
doi: 10.1176/appi.focus.20250002. Epub 2025 Jul 1.

Interstate Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Practice: Policies, Clinical Considerations, and Legal Implications

Michelle Bedoya  1 , Rachel Presskreischer  1
Affiliations

Interstate Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Practice: Policies, Clinical Considerations, and Legal Implications

Michelle Bedoya et al. Focus (Am Psychiatr Publ). 2025 Jul.

Abstract

In the United States, mental health and substance use disorder care is provided by a range of professionals, including psychiatrists, psychologists, and master's-level clinicians. These professionals are overseen and regulated at the state level by field-specific boards. Considerable variation between states in the educational and clinical supervision requirements for licensure creates challenges for license portability. To address these challenges, beginning in 2014, states have adopted practice compacts in medicine, psychology, counseling, and social work that allow clinicians licensed in a participating state to practice either via telehealth or in person in other participating states. This article discusses the nature of these compacts and provides legal and practice considerations for clinicians interested in joining a practice compact in their profession.

Keywords: Health Policy and Legislation; Mental Health Care/Service Delivery Systems.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no financial relationships with commercial interests.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Johnson DA , Chaudhry HJ : Medical Licensing and Discipline in America: A History of the Federation of State Medical Boards . Lanham, MD: , Lexington Books; , 2012.
    1. Reaves RP : The history of licensure of psychologists in the United States and Canada ; in Psychology Licensure and Certification: What Students Need to Know . Edited by TJ Vaughn , Washington, DC: , American Psychological Association; , 2006. , pp. 17 – 26
    1. Where it began: a short history of social work regulation ; in Manual for New Board Members . Culpeper, VA: , Association of Social Work Boards; , 2021. . https://www.aswb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Your-Association-2021.pdf . Accessed Feb 2025
    1. Olson S , Brown-Rice K , Gerodias A : Professional counselor licensure portability: an examination of state license applications . Prof Couns 2018. ; 8 : 88 – 103
    1. State Specific Requirements for Initial Medical Licensure . Euless, TX: , Federation of State Medical Boards; , 2025. . https://www.fsmb.org/step-3/state-licensure/ . Accessed Feb 2025