State Sen. Lisa Boscola

COUNSELING COMPACT: The Pennsylvania Senate July 17 approved legislation sponsored by senators Lisa M. Boscola (D-Lehigh/Northampton) and Judy Schwank (D-Berks) to authorize Pennsylvania’s participation in the National Counseling Compact, with broad bipartisan support, in a vote of 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.

Pennsylvania has already joined interstate compacts for nurses, physicians, psychologists and physical therapists. Including counselors continues the Commonwealth’s bipartisan effort to modernize licensure and strengthen behavioral health access.

The bill is being supported by the Pennsylvania Counseling Association, the largest of the state chapters of the American Counseling Association. In reaction to the vote, PCA President Dr. Joe Charette said, “We are so grateful for the work that our legislators have done to get PA one step closer to joining the Interstate Counseling Compact. 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.”

The bill now heads to the House of Representatives, where a companion bill, House Bill 668, has already passed with broad support.