Mental health policy

Therapy shouldn't stop at state lines

Every state has laws that make it harder to find — or practice — mental health care. Therapy Without Borders works to modernize these laws so care can follow people, not zip codes.

Person in a telehealth therapy session
160M+
Americans live in states with zero mental health compacts
8
States received a failing grade on mental health access
90+
Days average wait for licensure in the slowest states
3
Interstate compacts now exist for mental health providers
The Easy Score v2.0  ·  35-point framework  ·  51 jurisdictions rated

How easy is it to get mental health care where you live?

Mental health access isn't just about having enough therapists — it's about wait times, cost, quality of care, and whether providers can even practice across state lines. We graded all 51 U.S. jurisdictions on 35 points across four categories.

35pts
Framework
4
Categories
51
Jurisdictions
Start here
Check your state's access grade.
Quick compare
National Overview
All 51 U.S. Jurisdictions
Easy Score v2.0
Data as of Feb 2026
24.2/35
Average Score
12
B-Grade States
8
F-Grade States
Grade Distribution
Select a state to see how it compares.
Inside the framework
01
Find a Therapist
Compact participation, out-of-state practice rights
12 points
02
Wait Times
Processing speed, practice-pending rules, application complexity
8 points
03
Costs
Licensing fees and affordable entry pathways
5 points
04
Quality & Access
Telehealth parity, scope of practice, supervision rules
10 points
What We Do

A simple mission with two priorities

Remove state lines from mental health care. Every young person in America should be able to find and keep a therapist without worrying about invisible borders.

PRIORITY 01

Universal Compact Participation

Every state should join every mental health compact. When all states participate, a college student can keep her therapist after moving across the country. A military spouse doesn't restart care after relocation. A family doesn't start over in a crisis.

Learn about compacts
PRIORITY 02

Modernize Telehealth Laws

Compacts solve interstate licensing, but insurance rules and outdated telehealth restrictions still block access. We're evaluating telehealth laws in every state to identify what works and push legislatures toward best-practice policies.

See how your state scores
Get Involved

Mental health care shouldn't have borders

The policy solutions exist. What's needed now is action. Help us push every state toward accessible, borderless mental health care.

Has a state line ever disrupted your mental health care?

We need real stories from patients, parents, and providers to fuel policy change. Your voice matters — even anonymous stories carry weight with legislators.

Share your experience →