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Question #2 – How Do I Locate My State Board’s Approved Provider Criteria?
In my previous article I addressed the question, “What are the continuing education requirements for my license?”, as it pertained to LMFTs. We will seek to answer in this article the question, “How do I find out what CE providers are acceptable by my state board?”, as before, using a licensed MFT as an example. Gaining this information will help you search for providers of continuing education. First step, again, is finding out what the board expects of you, secondly, you need to know what is allowed from the CE providers.
State Boards will vary in whom they determine as acceptable to provide continuing education courses for their licensees. When you begin your search for an approved provider, it will be helpful to know what your state board accepts. Preceding laying out where this information can be found, let’s look at how the state boards’ requirements for providers differ.
Some state boards require the CE provider to be approved by them directly. This means that the CE provider will have a specific provider number issued by that state board. As an example, for California MFTs, you must obtain your CE from a California BBS approved provider who has a valid PCE#. If your state board is similar in their requirements, look for the unique provider number issued by your state board with each CE provider you research.
Other state boards accept the approvals from certain national organizations. For instance, if the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) grants approval to a provider than an LMFT in Arizona may use them to earn their continuing education. This national approval obtained by a provider allows them to offer continuing education courses to licensees in states that accept the NBCC approval.
A third variant to this are those state boards that accept approval from other state boards that govern the same profession. As an example, MFTs in Colorado can earn continuing education from a provider who has received approval in California from the BBS, since the CA BBS governs MFTs. Now that the different scenarios of what is accepted regarding providers has been established, how can you determine what your state board permits?
Your state board’s official website is a great place to begin. Once on their site, look for a link for their rules, statutes, laws, or something similar. In this document you will want to go to the section for continuing education. Within this section will be a description on what the board views as acceptable venues for acquiring your CE. If you are an MFT in Texas, you will need to find the section titled “Types of Acceptable Continuing Education”. This section will help you determine if your state board accepts CE from providers who have been approved by a different state, been approved by a national board, or if they have to be approved by them.
Once you have this knowledge you can begin your next quest of finding the best provider of continuing education. This information will make things easier going forward. Once at a provider’s site, look for their approvals. If not there, move on. My next article I will set out to answer the question “What amount of CE can I earn online?”. Be watching for it.
If you are an LMFT looking for MFT CEUs, visit AspiraCE at http://www.aspirace.com. AspiraCE is a provider of CE, board approved for MFTs in several states. There are several courses to choose from, great pricing, and excellent customer service. Visit AspiraCE for your CEUs for MFTs today!