Can I still See My Therapist if I Moved to a Different State During the Pandemic?
In our series, The Business of Therapy, we set out to answer the most common questions about therapy, accessing care, and what it all means for your mental health. Questions like “why is it so hard to find a therapist who looks like me?” or “why is therapy so expensive?”. With interviews from professionals in the mental health space, we’re demystifying the business of therapy to help make accessing mental health care easier.
A question we’ve gotten a lot since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic “What happens if I moved to a different state during the pandemic? Will I still be able to see my therapist virtually?”
In our last installment of Business of Therapy, we talked about how some areas of the United States are mental health deserts. Many mental health providers are concentrated in metropolitan areas. These areas were the hardest hit by COVID-19 and saw higher rates of people leaving for more suburban and rural areas, places that tend to have lower rates of mental health providers (MHPs) available to help patients.
At the beginning of the pandemic, federal agencies and most states temporarily waived telehealth restrictions to make it easier for patients to see health providers virtually. These orders extended to mental health providers which meant patients who temporarily moved could still see their mental health provider even if they were now residing in a different state. After the federal Public Health Emergency declaration expires, we could see states reverting to pre-pandemic regulations unless they have taken steps to permanently expand telehealth access.
These new telehealth policies allowing people to see providers across state lines were especially crucial to ensuring continuity of care during COVID-19 because prior to these orders, most providers were limited to seeing patients only in states where the provider holds a license. Each state operates professional licensing boards — North Carolina Medical Board, Louisiana State Board of Licensed Professional Counselors, and New Jersey State Board of Marriage and Family Therapy Examiners are just a few — that grant licenses and regulate professional mental and behavioral health practice. Most states do not allow MHPs to practice across state lines outside of the pandemic.
Some states have agreements with other states known as “compacts”. These compacts make it easier for MHPs to practice in additional states. For example, the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact (PSYPACT) allows psychologists licensed in the 18 member states to apply for an EPassport to provide telehealth care to patients in other compact states.
So what should you do if you’ve found a therapist that you connected with but you reside in different states? For people who are currently seeing an MHP who resides in a different state than them, we recommend talking to your MHP about your concerns. Every state is different so it’s important to check the regulations for the state that you are in as well as the one your therapist is practicing in. Having a plan in place before any changes take place will help you to avoid a sudden stop or delay in your treatment.
But there is hope! The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of telehealth options for not only patients but for providers as well. The current federal orders don’t expire until September but we are already seeing a flurry of federal and state legislation to make telehealth changes permanent, including reducing barriers to cross-state telepractice.
