As a licensed professional counselor (LPC) in the state of Connecticut, it is your responsibility to adhere to continuing education requirements each period in order to renew your license. Beyond license renewal being key to you maintaining your practice, continuing education is essential to stay abreast of what is happening in your field – something your clients will always appreciate you taking seriously. Education is how we all continue to learn and further hone our skills and expertise, so it’s certainly something to be celebrated. Though education is fantastic, keeping on track with the many hours you need to fulfill can be a challenge. Thankfully, there is a fantastic resource available to help you with that. Before we dive into the resource, let’s start by outlining what is required of Connecticut LPCs in order to renew their license each year.
Licensee Requirements for Connecticut Licensed Professional Counselors
Licensed professional counselors in the state of Connecticut are required to complete 15 hours of continuing education every year in order to get their license renewed. Once every six years, two of the required 15 hours must be specifically regarding mental health conditions that are common among veterans or family members of veterans. Additionally, at least one hour of the 15 continuing education hours each year is required to be on cultural competency.
Not all professional activities can be counted toward the annual continuing education requirements, and the Department does not provide one-off approvals. An activity, course, or program is considered Department-approved if it meets the following criteria (taken directly from the CT Department of Public Health website): offered or approved by the National Board of Certified Counselors, the American Counseling Association, the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy, the National Association of Social Workers, the Association of Social Work Boards, the American Psychological Association, or their affiliates, or the Connecticut Department of Education or the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services; graduate coursework in or related to the discipline of professional counseling offered by a regionally accredited academic institution, either audited or by credit; or programs in or related to the discipline of professional counseling sponsored or approved by a regionally accredited academic institution, provided the coursework is clearly related to maintaining skills necessary for the safe and competent practice of professional counseling.
Continuing education requirements are subject to random audits, so it is best to maintain records of all continuing education certificates for at least three years after completion of an activity.
Key Takeaways:
- LPCs in Connecticut are required to complete 15 hours of continuing education annually.
- One hour must be regarding cultural competency, and two hours every six years need to be on veteran (or veteran family member) mental health conditions.
Given licensed professional counselors are likely to achieve their continuing education certificates in increments, from various workshops, conventions, agencies, and institutions, there is a lot of documentation to keep track of (potentially 15 or more certificates throughout the course of a year). As proof is required in the event of an audit, it’s imperative you keep all of those certificates in a safe place – easily accessible and easy to track your progress. CE Hub is the safe place you need to work through your continuing education with ease.
What is CE Hub?
CE Hub is an app built specifically for counselors. Recognizing the difficulty that is storing continuing education certificates and keeping track of your hours, CE Hub was created to take the stress out of continuing education requirements. Instead of worrying throughout the period that you may not be on track, or perhaps that you may have lost a document or two, CE Hub provides you the peace of mind you need to enjoy the learning process. Using the platform is simple: you sign up, upload your continuing education certificates as you obtain them, then CE Hub handles the rest. All of your continuing education credits are tracked for you, and you even receive a reminder when it’s time to renew your license. Alleviate the stress of continuing education requirements by taking advantage of CE Hub today!
Disclaimer: this content is for informational purposes only. Licensees should always confirm their continuing education requirements with their respective governing agency. In the state of Connecticut, LPCs can clarify anything about their license by contacting the Connecticut Department of Public Health at the number (860) 509-7603.
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