As a licensed professional counselor (LPC) in the state of South Carolina, 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 South Carolina LPCs in order to renew their license every cycle.
Licensee Requirements for South Carolina Licensed Professional Counselors
Licensed professional counselors in South Carolina share the same continuing education requirements as their MFT colleagues. They are required to complete 40 hours of continuing education ahead of the August 31 renewal deadline in even-numbered years. Within the 40-hour requirement, at least 34 need to be related to professional counseling, specifically. Additionally, six hours must be on professional counseling ethics. LPCs can earn their continuing education through both formal learning formats and informal formats (“Category A” versus “Category B”). That said, no more than 15 hours can come from information learning (or Category B). For a complete description of Category A versus Category B activities, reference sections III. and IV. here. As a final note, no hours can be rolled over into the next licensing cycle, should you exceed the required 40.
Key Takeaways:
- South Carolina LPCs must earn 40 hours of continuing education every two years
- The renewal deadline is August 31 in odd-numbered years
- A minimum of 34 hours must relate to professional counseling, specifically
- At least six hours need to be in ethics related to professional counseling
- No more than 15 hours can come from Category B
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 40 or more certificates throughout the course of two years). As proof is required when you apply for renewal, 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 South Carolina, LPCs can clarify anything about their license by contacting the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation at the number (803) 896-4300.
Reference Links:
https://llr.sc.gov/cou/PDFS/CONTINUING_EDUCATION_GUIDELINES.pdf
