As a licensed professional counselor (LPC) in the territory Washington D.C., 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 Washington D.C. LPCs in order to renew their license each year.
Licensee Requirements for Washington D.C. Licensed Professional Counselors
All licensed professional counselors in Washington D.C. have a responsibility to fulfill a requirement of 40 hours of continuing education every two years. Of the 40 required hours, at least four need to be on subjects the Director has declared as public health priorities, two hours must be in cultural competence and clinical treatment of members of the LGBTQ community, six hours need to be on ethics, and another four have to be regarding trauma counseling. Relating to the public health requirement, the following topics have been highlighted as current priorities: responsible opioid prescriptions; obesity prevention and nutrition; identifying and reporting abuse, neglect, human trafficking, and domestic violence; sexual health; ethics; smoking (including vaping); emergency preparations; vaccinations; identifying impairment; implicit bias; cultural competence and culturally and linguistically appropriate services.
Key Takeaways:
- Washington D.C. Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs) must complete 40 hours of continuing education every two years.
- Four need to be on public health priorities (defined above), two on the LGBTQ community, six in ethics, and four in trauma counseling.
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 territory Washington D.C., LPCs can clarify anything about their license by contacting DC Health at the number (202) 724-8800 or by email at doh@dc.gov.
Reference Links:
https://dchealth.dc.gov/service/professional-counseling-licensing
