Is Arkansas in the Counseling Compact?
Arkansas began issuing Counseling Compact privileges on July 30, 2026, becoming the seventh operational state, which means independently licensed Arkansas counselors can apply for privileges to practice in other live Compact states, and eligible counselors from other live Compact states can apply to practice in Arkansas. Arkansas joins Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, and Ohio as operationally live, following the Compact’s first launch in Arizona and Minnesota in September 2025. Only one license qualifies for the Counseling Compact in Arkansas: Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). The total fee to apply for an Arkansas privilege is $80, covering the $50 Arkansas state fee and the $30 Compact administrative fee. Every LPC in Arkansas must also pass the state jurisprudence exam, regardless of Compact membership, before applying for a privilege.
Key Facts About Arkansas and the Counseling Compact
- Operational date: July 30, 2026
- License required: LPC
- Privilege cost: $80 total ($50 AR state fee + $30 Compact admin fee)
- Live states: Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Ohio, Arkansas
- Total enacted: 40 states, as of July 2026
Who qualifies for the Compact in Arkansas?
Though there are many professionals in Arkansas who may be called counselors, either formally or informally, only one license qualifies for the Counseling Compact in Arkansas: Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). This means that professional counselors who have completed a master’s degree in counseling, completed required supervised hours, state testing, and have the legal and ethical ability to practice counseling independently.
Eligibility also depends on the counselor’s state of primary residence. For Compact purposes, the “home state” is the state where the counselor resides, not simply any state in which the counselor happens to hold a license. An LPC who holds an Arkansas license but primarily resides in a different state ordinarily cannot use Arkansas as the home state through which they enter the Compact.
This excludes a few categories of counselors in the state of Arkansas. Licensed Associate Counselors (LAC) are not eligible to enter into the Compact, as this license designates an individual who is still accumulating supervised clinical hours, and cannot practice independently.
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFT) do not qualify, as the Compact is designed only for professional counselors. Similarly, school counselors and social workers do not qualify. These professions have their own organizations that may provide such interstate agreements, depending on the state.
Finally, LPC’s whose licenses are encumbered are not eligible. This primarily includes individuals whose licenses have expired or who are encumbered by legal disciplinary action.
Which states can Arkansas counselors practice in?
A qualifying LPC in Arkansas who joins the Compact can practice in any of the other states which are operationally live within the Compact once they are applied to individually. The Compact is gaining momentum and the list of live states changes regularly with the addition of new members, but as of August 8, 2026, the following states include: Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Ohio, and now Arkansas. This means that an LPC in Arkansas can gain privilege to practice counseling in, for example, Georgia or Ohio.
Can out-of-state counselors practice in Arkansas?
An LPC in any of the operationally live states (Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Ohio) can apply for privilege to practice in Arkansas. Additionally, they must complete the Arkansas jurisprudence and pay the required fees.
How do Arkansas counselors apply for a privilege?
To begin the application process as a professional counselor located in Arkansas, the applicant must hold an active and unencumbered license in Arkansas. This professional will also need to complete the jurisprudence exam for the state of Arkansas. Applicants should have all of this information readily available when completing the application on CompactConnect.
After these two preliminary steps, the counselor would apply through CompactConnect (https://counselingcompact.gov/apply-or-verify/), the online hub for the Counseling Compact. Once the application is complete and approved, each state must be selected and applied for individually and pay the fee for each state.
LPC’s do not need to resubmit the extensive materials associated with traditional licensure applications, such as graduate transcripts, examination scores, and supervised hours documentation.
Does Arkansas require a jurisprudence exam?
Yes. Every LPC in Arkansas must pass the state jurisprudence exam, regardless of Compact membership.
To do so, visit www.academy.cce-global.org, register, select the state jurisprudence exam, pay the fee, and the exam will be unlocked to complete from the browser.
How much does an Arkansas Compact privilege cost?
Though this may be subject to change, as of August 5, 2026, the total fee to apply for the Compact is $80. This $80 covers two separate fees: the $50 Arkansas state fee and the $30 Compact administrative fee.
After these fees are paid, and the LPC is approved for Compact eligibility, each state carries its own fee to gain privilege to practice within those state boundaries. It is prudent to confirm both the Arkansas Compact fee and each state fee before applying.
Does the Compact cover telehealth in Arkansas?
Yes. This is the primary method of counseling when practicing across state lines. Each state has its own legal and ethical guidelines for telehealth practice, and these should be individually consulted before practicing in any given state. However, in all cases, the client must be physically located at the time of the session in the state that the LPC is qualified to practice in.
For instance, if the LPC is based in Arkansas and has privilege to practice in Ohio, they can see a client via telehealth if the client is physically in Ohio at the time of the session. If, however, the client lives in Ohio, but is on vacation in New York (or any other state which is not operationally active within the Compact), the counselor cannot see this individual.
On the other hand, if this same Arkansas-based LPC is physically located in New York, even though they are not licensed there, and their client is physically in Ohio, a telehealth session can take place.
When does a privilege expire, and how do you renew it?
The privilege to practice in other states follows the same validity and expiration timeline as the LPC’s home state, not the other way around. Additionally, renewing the home state license does not automatically renew the privilege.
For instance, if the Arkansas-based LPC expires in 2028, the privilege expires in 2028 on the same day. To renew the privilege, this LPC must renew their home state license (LPC in Arkansas) in addition to renewing the privilege to practice on CompactConnect on the same day.
Because privileges are tied to the expiration date of the home-state license, the timing of the initial application can have financial consequences. A counselor who applies shortly before the Arkansas LPC expires may receive a privilege that is valid for only a short period. After renewing the LPC, the counselor must separately renew the privilege and pay the applicable fees again. When clinically feasible, counselors may wish to renew an approaching home-state license before purchasing new privileges.
Who should Arkansas counselors contact?
Joining the Counseling Compact is a major professional decision, as it expands the geographical capacity to practice professional counseling as well as induces increased ethical and legal responsibility. A few situations may come up that aren’t covered in this article.
Therefore, it would be good to familiarize yourself with the contacts who can address questions individually. For questions regarding Arkansas licensing, visit healthy.arkansas.gov or email arboec@arkansas.gov. For questions regarding interstate Compact privileges, contact Info@counselingcompact.gov to be connected with a state delegate.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. There are two tiers for each state in the Compact: enactment and operational. When a state first joins the Compact, they have enacted legislation, but have not yet established regulations, the staff, the fees, or the digital administration services needed. When all of this is established, the state becomes operational, or “live,” and this is when a counselor can apply for privilege. But a counselor is not automatically granted privilege when their state enacts legislation or becomes operational.
No. The home state license (e.g., LPC) is separate from the privilege to practice in other states. The home state LPC forms the foundation for independent professional practice, and privileges can be applied for separately.
No. Reciprocity is the older form of interstate laws. It meant that a professional counselor must apply to each state independently, and this may have required the counselor to take additional courses, submit transcripts, or acquire more supervised hours. The Compact privilege universalizes the process through one system. On the other hand, it is not a multistate or interstate license: it allows for one license to gain privilege to practice in other states.
No. Only independent LPC’s can utilize the Compact. LAC’s must complete supervised hours and any testing necessary to acquire the LPC to gain access to the Compact.
Following the transaction of fees, the privilege appears almost immediately.
No. Continuing Education (CE) is completed for the home state license, not for each state. This is one of the improvements made from reciprocity in the Compact. However, jurisprudence exams may be different from state to state.