Question About Moving a Counseling Practice to Another State

I am trying to figure out what the best option is for me. I had/have a private practice (S Corp) in Chicago which I closed due to moving to California recently. However, I will continue to do tele therapy since I am still licensed in Illinois with clients from that practice. However, I am also wanting to open an office in Los Angeles County where I will see face to face clients. Opening an office California should I make a different website? have multiple phone numbers?
Most importantly can I just DBA in LA as my S Corp name from Illinois or should I S Corp here in LA too? When I started research to see if I need a business license here in LA I realized here you need a DBA or form a Corporation: Not sure why I’m all jumbled when trying to figure this out so any guidance would be appreciated!
Thanks so much!

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Greetings,

It’s normal to feel jumbled when moving a counseling practice from one state to another—as there’s a number of considerations (as you see) and you might need to consult with a number of departments/professionals to get all the answers you need. Your questions involve accounting, legal, and licensure issues. Let’s dive in…

I had/have a private practice (S Corp) in Chicago which I closed due to moving to California recently. However, I will continue to do tele therapy since I am still licensed in Illinois with clients from that practice.
Okay, here it seems you’ve closed your brick and mortal store, but if your S Corp still exists and you’re still providing services, it seems that you’re still an active business, that’s now operating out of California. You’re right to keep your Illinois license, if you plan to continue seeing clients via online counseling or telephone counseling. You’ll probably need to pay taxes to California for the sessions you’re conducting (keep good records and check with your accountant).

However, I am also wanting to open an office in Los Angeles County where I will see face to face clients.
That makes sense. I’m assuming that you’re licensed in CA, and will meet all the laws/rule for practicing in CA.

Opening an office in California, should I make a different website? Should I have multiple phone numbers?
You might not need a second website. I don’t know the name of your practice, or the domain name of your website, but assuming it’s not something location-specific like “Chicago Counseling Center”, it might make best sense for you to keep the website you have. Update the address on the website of course. Perhaps explain on an “About me” page that you started in Chicago and Relocated to LA. Perhaps also write on the website that you’re still licensed in IL and can provide services online for qualifying clients.

As for multiple phone numbers, this depends. A second phone number will be an additional monthly expense, but might be worth it. However, if your concern is that persons in California might not call a Chicago area code, I think you’ll find that most won’t think twice about it.

This might be a matter of your personal preference. Do you like the idea of having a Chicago and an LA phone number on your website? Or does it seem like unnecessary complexity?

Most importantly can I just DBA in LA as my S Corp name from Illinois or should I S Corp here in LA too? When I started research to see if I need a business license here in LA I realized here you need a DBA or form a Corporation.
For that, you’ll need to contact your city/county to determine if you need a business license in your area (in LA), and then you might need to contact someone at the state level to see what the rules are for naming/DBA of counseling practices in California. Regarding Chicago, even though you’re still helping people from Chicago, you’re business has moved so you shouldn’t need to keep your Illinois business license (but again, do keep you IL counseling license!).
Not sure why I’m all jumbled when trying to figure this out so any guidance would be appreciated!
Thanks so much!
It’s really normal to feel a bit jumbled at this point. Hopefully I’ve been able to help with some of your private practice questions!