Is it legally possible to start a counseling service without a psychology or social work degree in the United States?
My first snarky answer is Yes! Because you can start a counseling service with a *counseling* degree, the degree designed for it. I know that’s not what you’re asking, though. You have to be careful with your terms, and I’m betting it varies by state. You would also have to be careful that your scope of practice did not infringe on a protected profession. The corporations that publish testing instruments won’t even sell them to you without appropriate credentials.Life coaching and spiritual direction are two fields that involve some degree of counseling but not the credential or the license.Interesting side note: part of the code of ethics when I got my degree (I believe the national certification, which I’ve since let expire) involves agreeing not to even use my MA as a postnomial except where it is directly relevant, so it works both ways.