For Continuing Education Requirements in License Renewal
The following provides guidance for continuing education. Please review the Board's administrative rules for more detail (OAR 833-025-0050 and 0060).
For a summary of the guidelines on continuing education:
/OBLPCT/CEU_guidelines.pdf
Licensed Professional Counselors and Licensed Marriage & Family Therapists
For CEU reporting in 2010, you must complete forty (40) clock hours of continuing education since your previous even-number year renewal in order for your license to be renewed.
If you received your initial license after April 1, 2008, you may not have to report 40 hours. Please contact the Board to find out the number of hours required.
OBTAINING CONTINUING EDUCATION FOR LICENSE RENEWAL
You may obtain the 40 clock hours in a variety of ways:
- Attending college or university courses -- 15 clock hours per semester credit or 10 clock hours per quarter credit.
- Seminars, workshops, conferences and/or trainings.
- Distance learning trainings must be offered or approved by a provider acceptable to the Board, e.g., NBCC
- Home study from approved providers must be offered or approved by a provider acceptable to the Board, e.g., NBCC.
You can obtain a maximum of 20 CEUs within a 2 year period through professional presentations, publication activities. Please review the Board's administrative rules for the allowable number of credits allowed through these methods.
Specifics About Education/Training Content
Not all workshops, seminars, or courses may count!
In order to complete the continuing education requirements, education/training experiences must be in one of the following approved program areas:
LPCs
- Counseling theory and techniques
- Human growth and development
- Social and cultural foundations in counseling
- The helping relationship
- Group dynamics in counseling
- Lifestyle and career development
- Diagnostic appraisal/assessment of individuals
- Research and evaluation
- Professional orientation and ethics
- Professional supervision training
- Disability and life transitions
LMFTs
- Theory and techniques of marital and family therapy
- Diagnostic appraisal and assessment of individuals in marital and family therapy
- Human development and family studies
- Ethics and professional orientation
- Research
- Professional supervision training
- Social and cultural foundations in marital and family therapy
Courses in personal growth, computers, administration, management, or other business classes will NOT count.
Other Program Requirements
Approved programs include:
- academic courses offered by accredited degree counseling or marriage and family programs;
- presentations sponsored by:
- departments of accredited educational institutions;
- national, regional, state, or local professional organizations or associations;
- public or private human services agencies or organizations;
- private consultants.
Accepted presentations must be at least one hour in length and
- offered by individuals with appropriate academic training, professional licensure or certification, or professionally recognized experience and with identifiable involvement in human services;
- oriented towards preparing the licensee to better meet counseling/therapeutic needs of clientele;
- offered in places accessible to persons with disabilities (except for non-classroom distance learning programs).
Other program requirements will be approved by the Board if approved for continuing education by NASW, NBCC, OPA, CRCC, AATA, AAMFT, CRCC and ACA.
Distance learning programs must include mechanisms for evaluation, measurement, or confirmation of exchange of information.
Clock hours exclude refreshment breaks, receptions or other social gatherings, and meals that do not include an approved program.
You may count only those clock hours actually attended between April 1, 2008 and your birth month in 2010 regardless of when the course began or ended, or grade given.
DOCUMENTING CONTINUING EDUCATION
KEEP in your records information about the program and any other documentation that shows you have completed continuing education hours. Obtain proof of completion as soon as possible after attending the course or workshop. (Canceled checks merely show that you paid, not that you attended.)
Documentation showing completion may include:
- Transcripts from accredited education institution;
- Dated certificates with number of CEUs granted (originals or copies) documenting completion of training;
- Program/activity descriptions, including written verification of professional services, copies of published works or other proof of publication, letter from president/director of organization in which professional activity was conducted.
- Signed statement of professional supervision by the individual providing the supervision.
BOARD AUDIT
Each reporting year, the Board conducts an audit to check compliance of its continuing education requirements. The audit process includes:
- random selection of 10% of LPCs and LMFTs for audit;
- notification of selected licensees by mail, including request for copies of documentation;-review of documentation for compliance and accuracy of summary list submitted with license renewal;
- discrepancies reported to the Board;
- Board determines if discrepancy means non-compliance.
- Board determines if non-compliance results in discipline.
IF YOU ARE ONE OF THE 10% SELECTED FOR AUDIT, YOU MUST PROVIDE:
- PROOF OF COMPLETION OF 40 CLOCK HOURS; AND
- EVIDENCE THAT THE EDUCATION/TRAINING MET THE REQUIREMENTS.
SUBMITTING CONTINUING EDUCATION
At the time of annual renewal on even-numbered years you must certify that you have met the continuing education requirements. You do this by listing a summary of continuing education courses, or courses and supervision, which you have completed. A form for the continuing education summary is provided with your license renewal notice.
WAIVERS:
The Board may grant waivers for serious illness or disability or for licensees who will not be practicing for extended periods of time and agree to make up provisions prior to resuming practice. Contact the Board office for details.
These guidelines are designed to assist the licensed professional counselor and the licensed marriage and family therapist in meeting the continuing education requirements for license renewal.
"Failure to document the required hours, or attempting to claim programs or supervision that does not meet approval requirements, will result in non-renewal or, in the case of discovery after renewal, possible suspension of license." (OAR 833-025-0060)
PLEASE DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE TO RENEW!
You have a grace period to submit fees and other necessary papers, but there is no grace period for completing the continuing education requirements. There are civil penalties for not meeting the requirements.
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