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Continuing Education Information

You may find a copy of the continuing education rules at 839 IAC 1-6-1 of the statutes and rules.

Continuing Education Frequently Asked Questions:

  1. How many continuing education hours do I need to renew my license
    1. 40 hours of continuing education credits are required for each renewal cycle or 20 CEUs per year.
  2. What is the renewal cycle?
    1. April 1st – March 31st of every even numbered year.   
  3. Are there any required courses I must take?
    1. Yes, every licensee is required to take at least 1 hour of ethics in Category I continuing education each year.
  4. How many hours of continuing education do I need if I have been licensed less than 24 months?
    1. You will need 20 hours in order to renew your license.
  5. How many hours of continuing education do I need if I have been licensed less than 12 months?
    1. You do not need any continuing education in order to renew your license.
  6. What are Category I CEUs and how many do I need per licensure cycle?
    1. Category I is defined as continuing education that is formal programming, which includes the following:

(1) Formally organized courses.

(2) Workshops.

(3) Seminars.

(4) Symposia.

(5) Institutes.

(6) Home study programs, including:

(A) computer;

(B) audio;

(C) video; and

(D) instructional programs, accredited by board-approved organizations.

(7) Courses that are relevant to the license holder’s professional skills, which are part of the curriculum of an accredited university, college, or educational institution, shall earn fifteen (15) CEUs for each academic semester hour completed, or ten (10) CEUs for each academic quarter hour completed.

(8) Faculty teaching a course for the first time at an accredited university, college, or educational institution shall earn one and one-half (1½) CEUs for every hour taught.

 

You are required to obtain a minimum of 20 Category I CEUs per renewal cycle.

 

  1. What are Category II CEUs and how many do I need per licensure cycle?
    1. Category II is defined as continuing education that is self-directed, which includes the following:

(1) Journal clubs, earns one (1) CEU for each hour attended.

(2) Office in-services, earns one (1) CEU for each hour attended.

(3) Case conferences that are specifically designed for training or teaching, earns one (1) CEU for each hour attended.

(4) Services as an instructor, presenter, or supervisor in a relevant professional seminar, workshop, or training conference earns one (1) CEU for each hour of service, but only for the initial instruction, presentation, or supervision given.

(5) Research and publication of research results in a recognized professional journal or book form, earns ten (10) CEUs, but may only be claimed for the initial publication of the information.

(6) Providing peer review of another licensee’s therapy and skills, which includes consultation, conference, and critique, earns one (1) CEU for each hour spent with the peer for this purpose.

(7) Services on boards and commissions and holding office in professional organizations, specifically related to the licensee’s profession, earns one (1) CEU for each hour of service

 

You are not required to earn any Category II hours however if you do use Category II hours towards you CEU requirement then you may acquire no more than 20 Category II CEUs per renewal cycle.

 

  1. How do I document Category II hours?
    1. You can record your hours on a Word document or spreadsheet.  You should include the date of the activity, the type of activity, and the amount of time you spent conducting the activity.
  2. How many hours in Category II hours can I count?
    1. You can count up to 10 Category II hours per year and a maximum of 20 per renewal cycle.
  3. Can I take all of my CEUs in one year or do they have to be split evenly throughout the renewal period?
    1. You can take as many CEUs as you like as long as you take at least 20 CEUs per year, a minimum of 10 of those hours must be Category I.
  4. Can continuing education credits transfer from one renewal period to the next?
    1. No. Credits can only be counted for the period in which they are taken.
  5. Do copies of my completed continuing education certificates need to be sent to the licensure board when I renew my license?
    1. No. Certificates are for your records and will only need to be submitted if you are audited.  However, it is required that licensees maintain copies of their CEU records for a period of four years in the event they are audited by the Board.
  6. What do I do if I am audited?
    1. Once you receive your audit letter you will need to either fax or mail in copies of continuing education certificates to the Board by the deadline stated on the letter.
  7. What happens if I didn’t receive the necessary CEUs during a licensure cycle or can’t produce the necessary documents during an audit?
    1. You will be required to make up the continuing education hours you are short and you will have to pay a fine.  The Board has adopted the proposed schedule as a general guideline for continuing education violations:
1 – 2 hours                      $100
3 – 5 hours                      $200
6 – 10 hours                    $350
11 – 15 hours                  $500
16 – 20 hours                  $750
21 – 40 hours                  $1000
  1. How can I tell if a course qualifies for my license?
    1. The following link is a list of all automatically approved providers as well as those which have been approved by the board as of February 15, 2013 - List of Approved Providers
  2. What providers are nationally approved for continuing education?
    1. If your continuing education program was sponsored, accredited, or approved by the following organizations then your CE will count towards your renewal requirement:

(1) Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine.

(2) Academy of Family Mediators.

(3) Accreditation Council on Continuing Medical Education (programs or seminars related to mental health).

(4) American Association for Continuity of Care.

(5) American Association for Diabetes.

(6) American Association for Social Work with Groups/Spinal Cord Injury.

(7) American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy.

(8) American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors, and Therapists.

(9) American Cancer Society.

(10) American Counseling Association.

(11) American Health Care Institute (programs or seminars related to mental health).

(12) American Hospital Association (programs or seminars related to mental health).

(13) American Medical Association (programs or seminars related to mental health).

(14) American Mental Health Counselors Association.

(15) American Psychiatric Association.

(16) American Psychological Association.

(17) American Red Cross (programs or seminars related to mental health).

(18) Arthritis Association.

(19) Association of Oncology Social Work.

(20) Association of Pediatric Oncology Social Work.

(21) Association for Treatment of Sexual Abusers.

(22) Association of Social Work Boards.

(23) Brain Injury Association of Indiana

(24) Chicago Center for Family Health.

(25) Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification.

(26) Employee Assistance Professional Association.

(27) Employee Assistance Society of North America.

(28) Federation of Societies for Clinical Social Work.

(29) Federation of Society of Sex Educators and Therapists.

(30) First Steps.

(31) Healthy Families.

(32) Hoosier Oncology Group.

(33) Hospice Foundation of America.

(34) Indiana Association of Home and Hospice Care.

(35) Indiana Commission on Continuing Legal Education (programs or seminars related to mental health).

(36) Indiana Council of Nephrology Social Workers.

(37) Indiana Council on Adolescent Pregnancy.

(38) Indiana Counselors Association for Alcohol and Drug Abuse.

(39) Indiana Healthcare Ethics Network.

(40) Indiana Hospice Association.

(41) Indiana Hospital and Health Association (programs or seminars related to mental health).

(42) Indiana Organ Procurement Organization.

(43) Indiana Perinatal Association.

(44) International Critical Incident Stress Foundation.

(45) Leukemia Society of America.

(46) Mediation Matters.

(47) Mental Health Association.

(48) Midwest Regional Network for Intervention with Sex Offenders.

(49) National Association for Family-Based Services.

(50) National Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors.

(51) National Association of Liver Transplant Social Workers.

(52) National Association of Perinatal Social Work.

(53) National Association of Social Workers.

(54) National Board for Certified Counselors.

(55) National Board of Addiction Examiners.

(56) National Brain Tumor Foundation.

(57) National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse.

(58) National Council of Community Mental Health Centers.

(59) National Council of Sexual Addiction and Compulsivity.

(60) National Hospice Association.

(61) National Kidney Foundation.

(62) National Organization for Victim Assistance.

(63) National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice.

(64) National Spina Bifida Association.

(65) Society of Heart and Lung Transplant Social Workers.

(66) Solutions Training Institute.

(67) The Alfred Adler Institute of Chicago.

(68) The American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children.

(69) The Center for Family Studies, Chicago, Illinois.

(70) The Cincinnati Psychoanalytic Institute.

(71) The Family Institute of Chicago.

(72) The Family Institute/Center for Family Studies.

(73) The Gestalt Institute of Cleveland.

(74) The Indianapolis Gestalt Institute.

(75) The Institute for Clinical Social Work, Chicago, Illinois.

(76) The Institute for Psychoanalysis, Chicago, Illinois.

(77) The International Institute of Object Relations Therapy.

(78) The Jungian Institute of Chicago.

(79) The National Association of Family Mediators.

(80) The National Center for Child Abuse and Neglect.

(81) The National Children’s Advocacy Center.

(82) The Society of Social Work Leadership in Health Care.

(83) The Wellness Community

(82) A national, regional, state, district, or local organization that operates as an affiliated entity under the approval of any organization listed in subdivisions (1) through (81).

(83) Any institute or program focused on self-psychology.

(84) A university, college, or other teaching institution accredited by the United States Department of Education or the Council on Postsecondary Education.

(85) A federal, state, or local government agency that coordinates and presents continuing education courses and programs in conjunction with this rule. (Social

Worker, Marriage and Family Therapist, and Mental Health Counselor Board; 839 IAC 1-6-2; filed Dec 29, 1998, 10:57 a.m.: 22 IR 1512; readopted filed Dec 2, 2001, 12:30 p.m.: 25 IR 1314)