As a licensed professional counselor (LPC) in the state of Montana, 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 Montana LPCs in order to renew their license every cycle.
Licensee Requirements for Montana Licensed Professional Counselors
Montana licensed professional counselors have the same continuing education requirements as MFTs and LCSWs in the state. In the past, they have been singled out like psychologists, but they are now grouped together with their MFT and LCSW counterparts. LPCs in Montana must complete 20 hours of continuing education annually, two of which in suicide prevention. The remaining hours can be on any topic, so long as no more than 10 come from authoring a professional publication or preparing a new course. Otherwise, licensees can expect their continuing education to be approved if it improves their knowledge of professional counseling, it’s relevant to current concepts and techniques, is directly related to counseling, and/or if it reinforces ethics and professional conduct.
Note: licensees are subject to audits, so it is advised at least three years of continuing education certificates be maintained in the event they are requested by the board. Additionally, up to 20 hours can be carried over to the next year, should a licensee exceed the required 20.
Key Takeaways:
- Montana LPCs are required to complete 20 hours of continuing education annually
- Up to 20 hours can roll over to the next cycle
- At least two of the required hours must be on suicide prevention
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 20 or more certificates throughout the course of the year). As proof is required if you are selected for 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 Montana, LPCs can clarify anything about their license by contacting the Montana Administrative Rules Services by phone at the number (406) 438-6122 or via email at sosarm@mt.gov.
Reference Links:
https://rules.mt.gov/gateway/RuleNo.asp?RN=24%2E219%2E435
