Practice Management Software for Therapists & Coaches in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania licensing boards for therapists

Pennsylvania's licensing boards sit in the Department of State's Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs (BPOA), with applications and renewals through the PALS portal.

License	Board	Source
LPC, associate professional counselor	State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors	Board page
LCSW, LSW	Same combined board	Board page
LMFT, associate MFT	Same combined board	Licensure guide
Licensed psychologist	State Board of Psychology	State Board of Psychology

The combined board's page notes that Act 4 of 2024 created licensed associate marriage and family therapist and associate professional counselor credentials, and that renewals open 60 days before expiration through PALS with no paper forms.

How Prexella stores this. Your Pennsylvania license number, individual and group NPI, EIN and taxonomy code are saved once in Prexella's billing settings and printed on every superbill, together with CPT, ICD-10 and place-of-service codes.

Telehealth: licensure, Act 42, PSYPACT and the Counseling Compact

The Department of State's telemedicine FAQ is direct: practitioners serving Pennsylvania patients need a Pennsylvania license, whether the service is in person or electronic, and telemedicine must meet the accepted standard of care.

• Act 42 of 2024 requires certain health insurance policies issued in Pennsylvania to cover medically necessary services delivered by telemedicine, consistent with the insurer's medical policies and the applicable standard of care. For Medicaid and CHIP managed care, payment requirements apply from January 1, 2026 (Saul Ewing summary).
• PSYPACT: yes. The State Board of Psychology states that Pennsylvania is a PSYPACT participating state, with Authority to Practice Interjurisdictional Telepsychology and Temporary Authorization to Practice available (psychologist licensure snapshot).
• Counseling Compact: member. Pennsylvania appears on the Counseling Compact member map; check the compact's site for when privileges are issued.

How Prexella's telehealth calendar handles it. Each booking records whether the client chose telehealth or in office, and superbills apply your default telehealth place-of-service code (10 or 02) to video sessions. Prexella has no field for the client's physical location, so confirm and note it at the start of each video session; for Philadelphia practices with New Jersey and Delaware clients, that check decides which state's license applies.

Pennsylvania insurers and cash-pay rates

KFF's 2024 data (large group, small group, individual) and state filings show these five as the largest:

1. Highmark: 46% of large group, 27% of the individual market
2. Independence Blue Cross: 37% of small group, 30% of the individual market, 22% of large group
3. UPMC Health Plan: 26% of small group, 21% of the individual market
4. Capital Blue Cross: about 10.5% of the individual market through Capital Advantage Assurance (Pennsylvania Insurance Department 2025 rate filings)
5. CVS Health (Aetna): about 12% of the overall market in Mark Farrah Associates' analysis (Mark Farrah)

The Pennsylvania Insurance Department also notes that Medical Assistance and Medicare make up 43% of the state's market and self-funded employer plans another 27% (PID 2025 QHP summary).

On cash-pay rates, a 2026 estimate puts Pennsylvania's average private-pay session at $170 (TherapyExplained, March 2026), above the $139 national average in SimplePractice's 2023–2024 session data (SimplePractice).

E-signatures and records retention in Pennsylvania

E-signatures. Pennsylvania's Electronic Transactions Act, Act 69 of 1999, is the state's version of the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act: a record or signature may not be denied legal effect solely because it is electronic, and an electronic signature satisfies a law requiring a signature, where the parties have agreed to transact electronically (FindLaw summary; Commonwealth e-signature policy). Prexella's e-signatures record the client's consent to sign electronically along with the typed name, drawn signature, time, IP address and browser.

Records retention. Psychologists must keep professional records at least 5 years after the last date of service (49 Pa. Code § 41.57), and licensed professional counselors at least 5 years from the date of the last entry (49 Pa. Code § 49.78). The psychologist rule also requires compliance with any other law that sets a longer period. Prexella keeps records, forms and superbills in your practice's database until you remove them.

Setting up a Pennsylvania practice in Prexella

A short Pennsylvania checklist that follows from the rules above:

1. License numbers from PALS. Enter the Pennsylvania license number shown in PALS, plus your NPI, EIN and taxonomy code, in Prexella's billing settings so they print on every superbill.
2. Decide which clients are private pay. Private-pay and out-of-network clients book and pay online and receive superbills; in-network clients' sessions become claims for your biller in the insurance workspace.
3. Telehealth defaults. Set your default telehealth place-of-service code (10 or 02). For clients who may be across the state line in New Jersey, Delaware or elsewhere, confirm their location at the start of each video session.
4. Electronic signature consent. Pennsylvania's Electronic Transactions Act applies where the parties agree to transact electronically, so keep the consent-to-sign language in your intake packet; Prexella records the consent statement with each signature.
5. Records for at least five years. Psychologists and counselors have five-year minimums under 49 Pa. Code §§ 41.57 and 49.78. If you bill insurers, check their contract terms for longer requirements before setting your schedule.
6. Associate licenses. Associate professional counselors and associate MFTs, created by Act 4 of 2024, practice under supervision; keep supervision records alongside the client records you hold in Prexella.

Pennsylvania professional associations

• NASW Pennsylvania Chapter
• Pennsylvania Counseling Association
• Pennsylvania Psychological Association

Pennsylvania metro pages

Practices that bill insurance as well as private pay should compare Prexella vs TherapyNotes and read about superbills. Request a demo, or see how to switch.

Sources verified 10/10/2026.