La. Admin. Code tit. 46 § LX-707

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 4, April 20, 2024

Section LX-707 - Renewal Requirements for Licensed Professional Counselors and Board Approved Supervisors

A. General Guidelines

1. A licensee must accrue 40 clock hours of continuing education by every renewal period every two years. Of the 40 clock hours of continuing education, 3 clock hours must be accrued in ethics and 6 clock hours must be accrued in diagnosis (assessment, diagnosis, and treatment under the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5, as published by the American Psychiatric Association). A board-approved supervisor must accrue 3 clock hours (of the required 40 clock hours of continuing education) in supervision.

2. One continuing education hour (CEH) is equivalent to one clock hour.

3. Accrual of continuing education begins only after the date the license was issued.

4. CEHs accrued beyond the required 40 hours may not be applied toward the next renewal period. Renewal periods run from July 1 to June 30, every two years.

5. The licensee is responsible for keeping a personal record of his/her CEHs until official notification of renewal is received. Licensees should not forward documentation of CEHs to the board office as they are accrued.

6. At the time of renewal, 10 percent of the licensees will be audited to ensure that the continuing education requirement is being met. Audited licensees will be notified to submit documentation of accrued CEHs.

B. Approved Continuing Education for Licensed Professional Counselors and Board Approved Supervisors

1. Continuing education requirements are meant to encourage personal and professional development throughout the counselors career. For this reason, a wide range of options are offered to accommodate the diversity of counselors' training, experience, and geographic locations.

2. A licensee may obtain the 40 CEHs through one or more of the options listed below. Effective July 1, 2014 a maximum of 20 CEHs may be obtained through an online format, with the exception of coursework obtained through a regionally accredited institution of higher education.

a. Continuing Education Approved by Other Organizations. Continuing education that is approved by either the American Counseling Association (ACA), its divisions, regions and state branches, Louisiana Counseling Association (LCA), or the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) will be accepted by the Board of Examiners. One may contact these associations to find out which organizations, groups or individuals are approved providers. One may receive one clock hour of continuing education for each hour of direct participation in a structured educational format as a learner. Credit cannot be granted for: business/governance meetings; breaks; social activities including meal functions, except for actual time of a content speaker. Credit cannot be given for an approved session to persons who leave early from that session. Verification can consist of copies of certificates of attendance.

b. Continuing Education Not Preapproved. For those organizations, groups or individuals that do not carry provider status by one of the associations listed in Subparagraph a of this Paragraph, the continuing education hours will be subject to approval by the Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners at the time of renewal. The board will not pre-approve any type of continuing education. The continuing education must be in one of the 14 approved content areas listed in §707. C, and be given by a qualified presenter. A qualified presenter is considered to be someone at the master's level or above and trained in the mental health field or related services. One may receive one clock hour of continuing education for each hour of direct participation in a structured educational format as a learner. Credit cannot be granted for business/governance meetings, breaks, social activities, including meal functions, except for actual time of a content speaker. Credit cannot be given for an approved session to persons who leave early from that session. Verification for workshops, seminars, or conventions can consist of copies of certificates of attendance. Typically one continuing education unit (CEU) is equivalent to 10 clock hours (CEH).

c. Coursework. CEHs may also be gained by taking coursework (undergraduate or graduate) from a regionally accredited institution in one of the 14 approved content areas for continuing education listed in §707. C. One may take a course for credit or audit a course. In a college or university program, one semester hour is equivalent to 15 clock hours and one quarter hour is equivalent to 10 clock hours. Therefore, 45 CEHs will be given for a three hour university course completed at a regionally accredited university. Verification for coursework can consist of either copies of transcripts for coursework taken for credit or letter of attendance from instructor for courses audited.

d. Home Study (10 hours maximum per renewal period, effective July 1, 2014). Journals published by ACA, LCA, professional refereed journals, video presentations, and webinars are all approved home study options. Each option must carry a provider number from either NBCC, ACA, LCA, or other board-approved mental health organizations. Each activity will specify the number of CEHs that will be granted upon completion. Verification consists of a certificate issued by NBCC, ACA, LCA, or certificates from other professional mental health organizations that will be reviewed by the board.

e. Presentations (10 hours maximum per renewal period, effective July 1, 2014). Presenters may get credit for original presentations at a rate of five clock hours per one hour presentation. Presenters must meet the qualifications stated in Subparagraph B.2.b above. The presentation must be to the professional community, not to the lay public or a classroom presentation. The presentation must also be in one of the 14 approved content areas listed in §707. C. Verification of the presentation consists of obtaining a letter from the workshop/convention coordinator stating the topic, date, and number of hours of presentation.

f. Publishing (10 hours maximum per renewal period, effective July 1, 2014). Authors may receive five clock hours per article or chapter in a book. The article must be published in a professional refereed journal. Both articles and chapters must be in one of the 14 approved content areas listed in §707. C. Verification will consist of either a reprint of the article/chapter, or a copy of the article/chapter, cover of the book/journal and page listing the editor or publisher.

g. Counseling (10 hours maximum per renewal period). One may receive one clock hour of continuing education per counseling hour as a client. To qualify, one must be a client receiving services from a licensed mental health professional having qualifications equal to, or exceeding, those currently required of counselors. Consultation and supervision hours do not qualify. Verification will consist of a letter from the counseling mental health professional verifying client therapy hours.

h. Research (10 hours maximum per renewal period, effective July 1, 2014). One may receive one clock hour of continuing education per hour of planning or conduct of, or participation in, counseling or counseling-related research. To qualify, this activity must constitute an original and substantive educational experience for the learner. Verification will consist of a letter from the faculty member or researcher.

i. Peer Supervision (10 hour maximum per renewal period). One may receive one clock hour of continuing education per hours of performing peer supervision activities. For example, case work consultation.

C. Approved Content Areas. Continuing education hours must be in one of the following 14 content areas:

1. counseling theory-includes a study of basic theories, principles and techniques of counseling and their application in professional settings;

2. human growth and development-includes studies that provide a broad understanding of the nature and needs of individuals at all developmental levels, normal and abnormal human behavior, personality theory and learning theory within appropriate cultural contexts;

3. social and cultural foundations-includes studies that provide a broad understanding of societal changes and trends, human roles, societal subgroups, social mores and interaction patterns, and differing lifestyles;

4. the helping relationship-includes studies that provide a broad understanding of philosophic bases of helping processes, counseling theories and their applications, basic and advanced helping skills, consultation theories and their applications, client and helper self-understanding and self-development, and facilitation of client or consultee change;

5. group dynamics, processing and counseling-includes studies that provide a broad understanding of group development, dynamics, and counseling theories, group leadership styles, basic and advanced group counseling methods and skills, and other group approaches;

6. lifestyle and career development includes:

a. studies that provide a broad understanding of career development theories, occupational and educational information sources and systems, career and leisure counseling, guidance, and education;

b. lifestyle and career decision-making, career development program planning and resources, and effectiveness evaluation;

7. appraisal of individuals-includes studies that provide a broad understanding of group and individual educational and psychometric theories and approaches to appraisal, data and information gathering methods, validity and reliability, psychometric statistics, factors influencing appraisals, and use of appraisal results in helping processes;

8. research and evaluation-includes studies that provide a broad understanding of types of research, basic statistics, research report development, research implementation, program evaluation, needs assessment, publication of research information, and ethical and legal considerations associated with the conduct of research;

9. professional orientation-includes studies that provide a broad understanding of professional roles and functions, professional goals and objectives, professional organizations and associations, professional history and trends, ethical and legal standards, professional preparation standards, professional credentialing and management of private practice and agency settings;

10. marriage and family-includes studies that provide a broad understanding of marriage and family theories and approaches to counseling with families and couples. This includes appraisal of family and couples systems and the application of these to counseling families and/or couples;

11. chemical dependency-includes studies that provide a broad understanding of chemical dependency issues, theories, and strategies to be applied in the helping relationship for chemical dependency counseling;

12. supervision-includes studies in theory and techniques of supervision as well as ethical and legal issues, case management, and topics relative to the specific supervised setting;

13. abnormal includes studies of emotional and mental disorders experienced by persons of all ages, characteristics of disorders, common nosologies of emotional and mental disorders utilized within the U.S. health care system, and the most recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, as published by the American Psychiatric Association. This includes:

a. studies of preferred treatment approaches for disorders based on research;

b. common medications used by psychiatrists to treat disorders, and

c. working with other health care and mental health care professionals in treating individuals with emotional and mental disorders;

14. psychopharmacology includes the scientific study of the effects of drugs on mood, sensation, thinking, and behavior. This also includes a range of substances with various types of psychoactive properties, which involves drugs used in the treatment of psychopathological disorders and drugs of abuse, and focuses on the chemical interactions with the brain.

D. Types of documentation needed for verification:

1. copy of certificate of attendance for workshops, seminars, or conventions;

2. copy of transcript for coursework taken for credit/letter of attendance from instructor for courses audited;

3. home study verification form or certificate issued by NBCC/ACA/LCA;

4. letter from workshop/convention coordinator verifying presentations;

5. copy of article, cover and editorial board page for publications;

6. letter from counseling mental health professional verifying number of hours in counseling as a client;

7. letter from the faculty member or researcher verifying number of hours in research;

8. letter or certificate from the LPC Board of Examiners, or from the board-approved counseling service organization, verifying number of hours of service.

La. Admin. Code tit. 46, § LX-707

Promulgated by the Department of Health and Hospitals, Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners, LR 41719 (4/1/2015).

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 37:1101-1123.