HARRISBURG, PA – July 17, 2025 — The Pennsylvania Senate today approved legislation sponsored by Sens. Lisa M. Boscola, D-Lehigh/Northampton, and Judy Schwank, D-Berks, to authorize Pennsylvania’s participation in the National Counseling Compact. The bill passed with broad bipartisan support, 45-5.
The compact allows licensed professional counselors in Pennsylvania to provide services across state lines in any of the 37 member states, including nearby states such as Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, West Virginia and Virginia.
Senate Bill 604 expands access to care while maintaining strong professional standards — a critical step as the United States faces a projected shortage of more than 40,000 mental health counselors by 2030, according to federal health workforce data.
“This bill is about removing barriers to mental health care,” Boscola said. “Joining the compact helps ensure Pennsylvania keeps pace with growing demand for qualified counselors and gives people better access to the support they need, no matter where they live.”
“Allowing licensed professional counselors to practice across state lines means greater access for individuals in underserved and rural areas, especially those where mental health services are often hard to come by,” Schwank said. “It also means greater continuity of care, so clients can keep working with their same trusted counselors without interruption. This bill is a major win for mental health professionals, patients and our commonwealth as a whole.”
Pennsylvania has already joined interstate compacts for nurses, physicians, psychologists and physical therapists. Including counselors continues the state’s bipartisan effort to modernize licensure and improve access to behavioral health care.
The bill is supported by the Pennsylvania Counseling Association, the largest state chapter of the American Counseling Association.
“We are so grateful for the work our legislators have done to get Pennsylvania one step closer to joining the Interstate Counseling Compact,” said PCA President Dr. Joe Charette. “We’re eager for this bill to become law so that we can expand access to mental health care and enhance our professional counseling workforce.”
Senate Bill 604 now heads to the House of Representatives, where a companion bill — House Bill 668 — has already passed with broad support.
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