Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Explanation of CE requirements for LMFTs in California

Explanation of CE requirements for LMFTs in California

Compulsory courses for California MFT continuing education for the first renewal of the license

The total MFT requirements for continuing education in California are 36 hours before the license renewal. 13 of these hours are in mandatory areas for the first license renewal, while the other courses can choose based on the practice or areas of interest of the MFT.

According to the licensor in the state of California, at least six hours of MFT CEUs built up over a two-year cycle must be focused on legislation and ethics applicable to the family and marital therapist.
The required HIV and AIDS is 7 hours and applies to all MFTs that request their initial license renewal.
Compulsory courses for California MFT continuing education after the first renewal of the license

MFT CEU requirements for all subsequent extensions require 36 hours of CE, including 6 hours of Laws and Ethics. The 6 hours of Laws and ethics are required for each extension period. The remaining 30-hour MFT secondary education courses can focus on areas that apply to the therapist's own practice.

A professional who has survived the educational requirements to become a licensed MFT in the state of California will often be involved in private practice and taking time for formal on-site classes can be a problem. The requirements of their customer schedule and their personal lives may not leave much time for continuing education, even if the need is recognized. There are multiple ways to meet California MFT requirements for continuing education, and these methods are as varied as the state practitioners.

A person who teaches continuing education courses can claim CEFs if the course is approved for CE by the state of California. Each course, although given several times during an extension period, can only be claimed once. In addition, work experience may apply to MFT CEUs, in particular those required for the initial extension period. The six hours of Laws and ethics cannot, however, be claimed by work experience. Although MFT CE documentation does not have to be submitted with the license renewal application form, the applicant must keep the documentation for at least 4 years in the event of an audit. In the case of an audit, the professional will have to submit documentation of MFT courses for continuing education.

Distance learning for MFT CE in California

All 36-hour MFT CEUs can be met by state-approved online courses that are interactive or in which the courses contain online videos. Online courses that are taken for free use of the MFT and where the MFT must send their exam for manual processing are also allowed, but only 18 hours of the MFT requirements for continuing education can be met in this way if the interactive whether video requirements are met not met. Although somewhat restrictive, this is an improvement for the busy professional who may not have the hours to spend structured lessons at set times at fixed locations.

When choosing an MFT CE provider it is important to check whether these providers display a PCE number. The PCE number validates their approval by the state of California as a CE provider for CA MFTs. Education providers that do not have a PCE number may not have permitted courses that count towards the continuing education requirements for MFTs in the state of California. If required to submit documentation for an audit by the license board, the MFT must include the course work, the certificate and the PCE number of the provider. Online providers are required to issue completion certificates for each successful course. Although some providers keep these certificates, it is up to the individual MFT to keep copies of all issued documents so that they can be issued in the event of an audit.

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