Is South Carolina in the Counseling compact?

Yes. South Carolina is one of 34 member jurisdictions in the Counseling Compact (effective for the compact since 2023).

What if South Carolina doesn't recognize my license?

VAEIA 2022 / 50 U.S.C. § 4025a (effective Dec 23, 2024) requires South Carolina to recognize your valid out-of-state Licensed Professional Counselor license when you relocate due to military orders. If a board pushes back, cite the statute and the DOJ Servicemembers Initiative guidance. The DoD also reimburses up to $1,000 per PCS for relicensing fees.

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Counseling · SC

Can a Licensed Professional Counselor transfer a license to South Carolina as a military spouse?

Data as of May 2026|Source: Counseling Compact commission + DOJ Servicemembers Initiative

Published by the Honest MOS Editorial DeskVerified against DoD/.gov sourcesUpdated May 2026Editorial standards

✓ Yes — compact transfer

Yes. South Carolina is a member of the Counseling Compact, so a Licensed Professional Counselor holding a multistate/compact license can practice in SC without re-applying. Explicit military-spouse provision: practice on home-state license in any Compact state, plus expedited home-license process when moving.

Your counseling licensing board in South Carolina

South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, Board of Examiners for Licensure of Professional Counselors, Marriage and Family Therapists, Addiction Counselors and Psycho-Educational Specialists

llr.sc.gov/cou ↗☎ 803-896-4658

South Carolina military-spouse provision

South Carolina LLR prioritizes and expedites military spouse licensure applications for counselors who hold an active license in good standing in another jurisdiction, processed through a Military Spouse Expedited Licensure Request Form for spouses relocating to South Carolina under military orders.

Official source ↗

About the Counseling Compact

For licensed professional counselors (LPC, LMHC, LCMHC). Member-state license is recognized in all other member states; military spouses can use home-state license in any compact state.

Official compact site ↗

All Counseling member states

34 jurisdictions. Tap any to check that destination for this profession.

AL AR CO CT DE FL GA ID IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MS MO MT NE NH NJ NC ND OH OK RI SC TN UT VT VA WA WV WY

All compacts for South Carolina →Counseling portability — all states →License portability checker →MyCAA: $4,000 for relicensing →