Change is in the Air for Licensed Counselors as Georgia State Passes New Bill

Categories: MEMBER NEWS

COUNSEL ALERT

As licensed professionals, we have looked at our state boards and wondered if there would be a time when we could have a license in one state and practice in another state. We have all made hard choices about where to live based on these laws and have dread state line moves due to having to go through more supervision to obtain another license in our new state. It looks like change is currently on the horizon.

The Georgia State Legislators passed a bill on March 24, 2021, that would allow Georgia to contract with other states so that Georgia licensed clinicians may provide counseling both in person and through telehealth to other states and vice versa. The biggest takeaway is that a licensed clinician will not have to attain another license to practice in other states that are a part of the compact.

Georgia may be the first to pass the bill. Still, other states such as Maryland, Nebraska, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Delaware are also well on their way to have similar bills go before their state legislation.

As we are all aware of the mental health disaster in our country, this comes as no surprise to help clinicians and clients find therapeutic relationships that will bring about change and renewed mental health. This country is greatly lacking in mental health workers, and the help of out-of-state clinicians could fill the gap for those seeking help who are on extensive waiting lists.

Special Note

As with all good news, there is some caution to this legislation. We have seen an encroachment on the religious liberties being proposed to the federal government in other bills, such as the Equality Act. Remember that even though this looks like a win for so many in the counseling profession, there is a possibility to use this new state compact to block our ability to counsel from a faith-based perspective. Keep in mind that we must never let go of our hard-fought liberty of religious freedom for all, which means us, Christian counselors, too.

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About the AACC

The American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC) is the world’s largest and most diverse Christian counseling association in the world. The AACC’s mission is to equip the entire community of care, including licensed professionals, pastors, and lay caregivers, with biblical truth and psychosocial insights so they can minister to hurting people and help them move to personal wholeness, interpersonal competence, and mental stability. The AACC accomplishes this mission through its widely attended events, educational programs, and materials available via Light University and publications.