Therapy Without Borders: Understanding PSYPACT & Telehealth Across State Lines

Written By Stephanie Bono

Finding a good therapist within driving distance can be hard. If you live in a rural or underserved area, options may be even more limited by long waitlists or providers who don’t align with your specific needs. Even in more populated areas, it can be hard to find a therapist whose approach, personality, or values truly feel like a fit.

Geography has historically dictated access to care and kept people from receiving much-needed psychotherapy support. Fortunately, starting in 2019, PSYPACT began to change that.

By using PSYPACT, Evergrow Therapy & Assessment is able to provide remote therapy services to clients in 42 states.

What is PSYPACT?

PSYPACT (short for the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact) is an interstate agreement that allows licensed psychologists to treat clients virtually across state lines. It was created to help increase accessibility to mental health care. PSYPACT also helps protect clients by ensuring that the clinicians practicing across state lines have met specific standards needed to practice responsibly and ethically in other states.

What are the benefits of PSYPACT?

By allowing licensed psychologists to practice across state lines, PSYPACT offers several advantages:

  1. Clients are no longer limited to psychologists licensed only in their immediate state.

  2. Individuals in underserved or rural areas can access a broader pool of providers.

  3. Clients seeking specialized therapy expertise (e.g., anxiety, ADHD, perfectionism, insomnia, etc.) have more options for care.

  4. Therapy can often continue uninterrupted after a move to another participating state.

Who Can Use PSYPACT?

PSYPACT can be used by clients who are physically located in participating PSYPACT states (see below list of participating states) at the time of their virtual therapy session.

  • Alabama

  • Arizona

  • Arkansas

  • Colorado

  • Connecticut

  • Delaware

  • District of Columbia

  • Florida

  • Georgia

  • Idaho

  • Illinois

  • Indiana

  • Kansas

  • Kentucky

  • Maine

  • Maryland

  • Michigan

  • Minnesota

  • Mississippi

  • Missouri

  • Montana

  • Nebraska

  • Nevada

  • New Hampshire

  • New Jersey

  • North Carolina

  • North Dakota

  • Ohio

  • Oklahoma

  • Pennsylvania

  • Rhode Island

  • South Carolina (pending changes)

  • South Dakota

  • Tennessee

  • Texas

  • Utah

  • Vermont

  • Virginia

  • Washington

  • West Virginia

  • Wisconsin

  • Wyoming

Stephanie Bono
Next

Nurturing Social-Emotional Intelligence in Children