By Zane Josie
Education for mental health professionals that occurs after they have already earned their degree and licensure is known as Continuing Education for Mental Health Professionals. Since psychology is a growing and evolving discipline, studies and recommendations often evolve. Clinicians may best serve their patients and other clients by keeping abreast of the latest advancements in their area, which is why continuing education is so important.
CEU For Psychologists
State laws and national ethics regulations greatly influence Continuing Education for Psychologists. License renewal for mental health professionals, including psychologists, often requires continuous education. Licensed and pre-licensed psychologists have different CEU needs. Before enrolling in any CEU courses, psychologists should double-check with their state’s licensing board. Online continuing education credits for psychologists are available via Vista Continuing Education.
Online Continuing Education Units In Psychology
Most psychologists now have access to online continuing education programs in the field. All pre-licensing and board-required courses, such as those on law and ethics, HIV/AIDS, domestic violence, and the elderly and the elderly in need of care, are available here. Each of the Online Psychology CEUs courses has been reviewed by relevant licensing boards and has been found to meet all requirements for CEUs.
What Is A Continuing Education?
Good Therapy’s CEUs, like those supplied by other organizations, are only valid if the relevant licensing board has accepted them. Interest groups may also provide training in addition to the numerous psychological and academic institutions. A group is advocating for the rights of the homeless might, for instance, host seminars or workshops on how to best counsel homeless veterans.
Those working in the mental health field can choose from various courses and concentrations as part of their commitment to continuing education.
Requirements For Continuing Education
Regarding mental health, each state has its own licensing board that determines the minimum amount of continuing education necessary to maintain a valid license. All 50 states have distinct necessities, but most of them include the following:
A specified number of continuing education (CE) credits within a specific time frame A specified number of CE credit hours with a specified concentration within the professional’s field.
Most boards mandate a set number of hours of training across multiple topics as part of continuous education. Counsellors, social workers, and MFTs in the state of Georgia, for instance, must update their certifications every other year. Georgia requires therapists to have 35 hours of continuing education before they may apply to renew their licensure. There must be a minimum of 15 core hours and a minimum of 5 ethical hours.
The Ceu’s Objectives
The mission of the CE program is to make available to psychologists’ tools that will help them achieve the following goals:
- Increase their competence in professionally appropriate ways (e.g., improve existing clinical practice, teaching/training, and scientific pursuits).
- Facilitate the acquisition of new skills and information.
- Fortify the routines of critical inquiry and balanced judgment.
- Acknowledge and recognize their unique CE needs.
Psychologists, educators, and researchers can all benefit from participating in continuing education since the material presented is designed to foster growth in essential conceptual and applied skills. Continuing education courses may cover topics that build on existing psychological theory and practice, or they may focus on already established concepts.
Requirements For Completion To Gain Continuing Education Units
Participants who attend specific programs and fill out assessment forms for those workshops will receive continuing education units. The attendance of each individual is recorded. Participants who arrive at most 15 minutes late, are absent for more than 15 minutes during a session, or leave a session more than 15 minutes early will not receive a refund for their registration fee. Participants must submit a complete assessment form after the event to receive credit. Those who wish to register must take responsibility for meeting these standards.
In Summary
Professional licensing bodies often outline continuing education (CE) credit requirements in detail. A licensing board might stipulate a yearly minimum amount of CE credit hours. Additionally, they could want a specific ratio of in-person classes (where students and teachers interact in real-time) to self-paced online lessons (ex: video recordings, reading materials, etc.). It is the responsibility of mental health practitioners to research the CE course acceptance policies in their state or province.
Therapists may give their clients the finest care possible by keeping up with the latest developments in psychotherapy and mental health treatment by taking advantage of continuing education opportunities. Many mental health professionals find online courses the most convenient approach to increasing their knowledge of various treatment modalities, the most recent research on specific behavioural health issues, and developing their clinical expertise.
