Counseling in the USA

Note: this page does not constitute professional advice. You should seek advice from a qualified professional before embarking on a course of action.

Once “the land of the free”, the USA is now “the land of the restrictive practices”. In many US states, you need to be licensed by the State in order to practice as a “counselor” or “therapist”.

The requirements vary by State, so check your State’s statutes: State Boards

If your State controls the practice of counseling or the use of the word “counselor”, you could:

1. Undertake extra training. Some states require 3000+ supervised clinical experience hours. And some counsellors find this difficult to meet this requirement.

2. Call yourself an adviser or a coach. This may not be acceptable in some states.

3. Relocate to a state that has different regulations.