ATLANTA — Georgia has become the fifth state in the country to offer a streamlined licensing process for professional counselors through the Counseling Compact.

The multi-state partnership allows Licensed Professional Counselors in participating states to practice across state lines without obtaining a new license in each location. Georgia joins Arizona, Louisiana, Minnesota, and Ohio in the program.

Robert Sinners, spokesman for the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office, says the move gives Georgia an advantage in attracting counselors to the state.

“This allows Georgia to have a competitive edge against 45 states right now because this removes red tape for counselors so they can get to work and serve their communities,” Sinners said.

Georgia currently has more than 12,000 active professional counselor licenses.

The Counseling Compact grants reciprocity for Licensed Professional Counselors in member states, allowing them to move to another participating state and bring their license with them. Sinners says the streamlined process includes online applications and near-instant license verification.

“Taking all of those old paper applications online and when we catch up to 2026 technology, that’s only beneficial to the people of Georgia who need it the most,” Sinners said.

State officials say the compact is expected to help prevent interruptions in client care, ensure counselors meet standards, and make misconduct information available across state lines.

More than 30 additional states have agreed to the compact but have not yet completed the process to join. Officials say many of those states are expected to come online within the next 24 to 36 months.

WSB Radio’s Veronica Waters contributed to this story.