密苏里州：心理咨询师跨州执业通道开通，持证咨询师可赴成员州面诊或远程服务
密苏里州的持证心理咨询师即日起多了一条跨州执业通道。美国咨询协会（ACA）10月19日宣布，密苏里州成为最新一个开始发放跨州执业特权的州：持有执照的专业心理咨询师今后可依据州际《咨询协定》（Counseling Compact），到其他成员州面诊，或通过远程医疗为外州患者提供服务，无需再逐州重新申请执照。
协会介绍，这份协定运作方式类似驾照互认：成员州彼此承认对方合格咨询师的执照，持证人取得特权后即可跨州执业。此前，各州执照互不相通，咨询师搬家或远程接诊外州患者都要重新走审批流程。
迄今已有40个州和司法管辖区通过了协定立法，其中亚利桑那、明尼苏达、俄亥俄、路易斯安那、佐治亚、印第安纳、阿肯色、怀俄明、田纳西、俄克拉荷马等州已先行开始发放特权，密苏里是最新加入发放行列的一州，预计未来数月还会有更多州跟进。ACA 是全球最大的专业咨询师组织，拥有约6.2万名会员，并为推动这份协定投入了近200万美元。协会称，这是咨询行业20年来最大的变革：全美约有1.22亿人生活在心理健康服务人员短缺的地区，跨州执业通道有望让更多患者更快找到咨询师，乡村和偏远地区的居民尤其受益。（GSM 据美国咨询协会 ACA 公告报道）
Missouri: Counselors Can Now Practice Across State Lines Under the Counseling Compact
Licensed counselors in Missouri can now reach patients beyond the state line. The American Counseling Association (ACA) announced on October 19 that Missouri is the latest state that can start granting privileges under the interstate Counseling Compact, allowing licensed professional counselors to practice in person in other member states, or serve out-of-state clients via telehealth, without reapplying for a license state by state.
The ACA says the compact functions much like a driver's license: participating states agree to recognize the licenses of eligible counselors from other compact states, who then receive a privilege to practice. Previously, independent jurisdictional licensing rules made it difficult for counselors to transfer their licenses when they moved or treated clients remotely across state lines.
To date, 40 states and jurisdictions have passed Counseling Compact legislation, and states already granting privileges include Arizona, Minnesota, Ohio, Louisiana, Georgia, Indiana, Arkansas, Wyoming, Tennessee and Oklahoma, with additional states expected to begin in coming months. The ACA, the world's largest association representing professional counselors with an estimated 62,000 members, played a lead role in creating the compact and invested close to $2 million in the initiative. The association calls it the biggest change in the counseling profession in 20 years, noting that an estimated 122 million people in the U.S. live in areas with mental health provider shortages, a gap cross-state practice is intended to help close, particularly for rural and remote communities. (GSM, based on the American Counseling Association announcement)
发布：GSM·美国（发布链接）
图片来源：图为密苏里州 Jefferson City 州议会大厦实景（摄于大厦维修施工期间，外立面包有施工防护）。图片来源：Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA 4.0，作者 Farragutful
GSM Global · 本篇英文版 English edition of this story
