No. The Counseling Compact covers only licensed professional counselors whose home-state license authorizes independent practice at the highest level. A stand-alone LCADC, LADC or CADC does not qualify. Counselors who also hold an LPC can get privileges for the LPC; the addiction credential still moves through IC&RC reciprocity or state endorsement.
Short answer: no. The Counseling Compact is for licensed professional counselors. The Commission's FAQ says only licensed professional counselors are eligible, and a privilege rests on a home-state license that authorizes you to independently diagnose, assess, treat and practice at the highest level. A stand-alone addiction credential, whether it is called an LCADC, LADC, LCDC, LCAS or CADC, is not that license.
The ten states issuing privileges as of October 2026 list the eligible license for each: LPC in Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Wyoming; LMHC in Indiana; LPCC in Minnesota and Ohio; and LPC-MHSP in Tennessee. No addiction credential appears on that list.
What if I hold an LPC and an addiction credential?
Many master's-level addiction counselors do. In that case:
- Your LPC can use the compact, if your home state is live and you meet the eligibility rules. The privilege lets you practice professional counseling in the remote state under that state's law.
- Your addiction credential moves separately, through IC&RC reciprocity or the new state's own endorsement rule, or not at all.
- Whether the privilege covers your addiction work depends on the remote state. If that state's professional counselor scope includes treating substance use disorders, your privilege may be enough for clinical work. If an employer, payer or state program requires the addiction credential specifically, the privilege will not satisfy it.
Is there an addiction counselor compact?
We have not found one in force or in operation. The established portability tool for addiction counselors remains IC&RC reciprocity, which is designed for relocation: IC&RC's standards require that you live or work at least 51% of the time in the receiving jurisdiction. That is a different problem from the one the compact solves, which is practicing in several states at once.
What should a dual-credentialed counselor do?
- Check whether your home state is live in the compact and whether your LPC is the eligible license type there.
- For each target state, read whether professional counselors can treat substance use disorders under their scope.
- Ask employers and payers in that state which credential they actually require.
- Move the addiction credential only where you need it.
Our Compact Privilege Concierge handles the LPC side: eligibility audit, jurisprudence prep, a guided filing session and renewal tracking. You complete and submit the CompactConnect application yourself, because the Commission does not allow anyone else to. The addiction credential is a separate engagement under Addiction Counselor Reciprocity.
Common questions
- Can I get a compact privilege with my LCADC?
- No. The Counseling Compact only covers licensed professional counselors. A stand-alone addiction credential is not an eligible license, whatever the state calls it.
- Does a compact privilege let me do substance use counseling in another state?
- It lets you practice professional counseling under the remote state's law. If that state's counselor scope includes substance use treatment, the privilege may cover the clinical work, but it does not satisfy a requirement for a specific addiction credential.
- Is there a separate compact for addiction counselors?
- We have not found one in operation. IC&RC reciprocity is the established route, and it is built for relocating rather than practicing in several states at once.
Need Help with Your Application?
We handle the counselor licensing process end-to-end — eligibility screening, documents, board follow-ups, and tracking.