Genetic counseling means providing information regarding the medical, psychological, and familial implications of inherited risks for disease, including:  interpretation of family and medical histories to assess the chance of disease occurrence or recurrence, and education about inheritance, testing, management, prevention, resources and research.  Any person employed as or practicing as a Genetic Counselor in California, or providing genetic counseling to residents of California, is required to have a valid Genetic Counselor License or a Temporary Genetic Counselor License issued by the State of California. 

Apply for Genetic Counselor License

Genetic Counselors work in a wide variety of clinical settings such as prenatal, pediatric, cancer, neurology, and cardiology in order to provide genetic counseling services.  They are found in hospitals, clinics, laboratories, academic settings, public health facilities and health education programs.

Completing The California Genetic Counselor License Application videos

Overview of GDSP GCL Portal

Associate Your Existing Genetic Counselor License video

Register and Sign In into the GDSP GCL Portal video

Multi-factor Authentication (MFA) Setup Instructions (PDF)

Access and Download Items from Your Application Dashboard

Apply for New GC License

Overview of Live Scanning and Fingerprinting Process

Renew Your Genetic Counselor License

Pay Your License Fee Via Credit Card or Check

If you are having difficulty accessing this document please contact CDPH at 866-718-7915 or at CALGeneticAdmin@cdph.ca.gov to request this information in an alternate format.