LPCA GUIDELINES FOR CONTINUING EDUCATION APPROVAL

Application for: Professionals, organizations, agencies, institutions, and others wishing to obtain Continuing Education hours for Licensed Professional Counselors, LPCs, and other Mental Health Professionals such as LMFTs, LCSWs, etc.

Apply for: Ethics, Core, Supervision, and TeleMental Health approved hours only. (NO RELATED HOURS)

Please read the following Guidelines before completing the application.

These Guidelines follow the GA Licensing Board Rule 135-9 requirements

SECTION I Deadlines:

  • Apply: Submit at least three (3) weeks before the presentation date with payment.
  • Advertising Website: Apply at least 60 days before the date of the program for website listing as we want to make sure as many people as possible attend your event.
  • Advertising Newsletter: The hard copy newsletter is quarterly.No guarantee that your listing will appear in the newsletter. See advertising information below.
  • If submitted after three week deadline, late fees may apply.
  • No post approval given.

1. Choose the Workshop Categories:

  1. Single workshop or Event: One time single presentation
  1. Same workshop or Event: Multiple Datesup to 12 months. ( must have at least one date confirmed, TBA for additional dates accepted)
  1. Series workshops: a series of closely related workshops/webinarswith unifiedtheme/Certifications programs. MUST BE RELATED THEME not several different subjects.
  1. Convention / Conferences
  1. Lunch N Learns: 1 or 1.5 hours only at “lunch time”
  1. Webinarsand Online – electronically delivered event: Once or available over time.

2. Please selectthe hours you are applying for:

Core and/or Ethics (and/or Supervisiontraining, and/or TeleMental Health).

3. Submit a CE application/fee (pay online-then include the order number) for each different workshop.

Or call the office to pay by phone.

4. Email to (or fax or mail-will result in slow turn over)

5. Email a copy of the Attendance listto , within two (2) weeks after the event. Keep the list of all attendees on file for at least 3 years.

SECTION II WORKSHOP CATEGORIES: (SEE FEE SCHEDULE)In Person Workshops or Electronically Delivered – Online, Webinar, etc. Any electronically delivered workshop or event using internet or any other form of electronics. At one Date must be listed, TBA is not accepted as the only Date of Event.

a.Single one time workshop or event.If a second (or more) presentation is planned after the initial submission, a copy of the initial approval form, copy of the first application payment and the additional multiple fee must be submitted before the next presentation.

b. Multiple workshop are defined as the SAMEworkshop repeated two or more times within a 365day period (from the first scheduled program date). A new application is not be necessary for each presentation. You can add dates with a simple email listing the new dates and current approval #.

c. Series workshops differ from multiple workshops.These workshops are a series of closely related workshops with a unified theme. Series workshops may be approved forCore or Ethics or a combination and includes certification programs.Series workshops may be approved for Core or Ethics or a combination (It can also be “subdivided” into Supervision or Telemental Health). Series workshops may also be a “certification” type program but no more than 20 CE hours per CE certificate (licensing rule). Series maybe offered once or several times over the course of 12 months from the first date of approval.

Attendees must complete the entire series to obtain credit hours. No partial CE credit is available. CE approval will only be offered for the completed series. CE certificates for each workshop under the “Series” approval will have a CE approval number (licensing rule).

d. Convention / Conference only one Approval Form is needed for a conference, but it must be accompanied by a list of each individual workshop's content, time and short bio or vita for EACH presenter. Please keep vita to one or two pages to show Presenter is qualified in the subject.

e.Lunch N Learnsone time workshop lasting 1 or 1.5 hours and occurring during Lunch time.

SECTION III CE HOURS: Core or Ethics(Supervision for credentialing and TeleMental Health)

  • CE Contact or Clockhours are approved for INSTRUCTIONAL HOURS ONLY in¼ hr blocks.
  • No more than twenty (20) hours per certification trainings/presentation/accreditationworkshop, can be approved due to Licensing Composite Board rules. Conferences/conventions with multiple workshops and presenter maybe approved for more than 20 CE hours.
  • All breaks must be listedand will beomitted from the total number of CE hours.
  • If not listed, a 15-minute break will be assumed every 1.5 hours (see example below).
  • Attendees must attend the entire event. (no late arrivals or early departures, CE are based on the clock)
  • Do not give CE certificates to late attendees or those that leave early.
  • The total number of hours requested must be listed.

Instructional Hours Example

Begins 9:00Ends: 10:301.5 hours

Begins: 10:30 Ends: 10:45Break

Begins: 10:45Ends: 12:151.5 hours

Begins: 12:15Ends: 1:15Lunch

Begins: 1:15Ends: 2:451.5 hours

Begins: 2:45 Ends: 3:00Break

Begins: 3:00 ends 4:301.5 hours

Total instructional hours:6.0 hours

SECTION IV INSTRUCTIONS (Marketing and What You Must Provide Attendees)

  1. Provide Certificates of Attendance to all Attendees attending the program that arrived on time and stayed to the end.
  2. LPCA will NOT be responsible for issuing certificates.
  3. If you need LPCA to provide CE Certificates contact the office for the fees
  4. Attendees must attend the entire (full length of time) event for a Certificate of Attendance.Ga Composite Bd. Requirement.No late arrivals or early departures accepted-
  5. Each Certificates of Attendancemust contain the following items to qualify for license renewal.

a. Title of workshop

b. Name of attendee-or place to fill in attendee’s name, and credentials if applicable

c. Dateof event

d. Place/Location of workshop

e. List: “In person or online” workshop

f. Providers contact data

g. Speaker/Presenter and credentials

h. A statement on what was covered in the workshop or the three objectives of the event.

h. CE statement: (Type and Number of hours and In Person or Online) Core or Ethics and if applicable Supervision and/or Telemental Health hours of continuing education have been approved by the Licensed Professional Counselors Association of Georgia, LPCA (# xxxx-xx).

Where the xxxx-xx is the approval number listed on your Letter of Approval.

Include a statement in the promotional brochure: AFTER YOU RECEIVE APPROVAL.

_____ CE (Core or Ethics/ Supervision/TeleMental Health) hour(s) approved by the Licensed Professional Counselors Association of Georgia, LPCA. Approval #______.

SECTION V ADVERTISING YOUR WORKSHOP Want to Advertising to Mental Health Professionals?

LPCA Website receives over 20,000 hits a month on the CE website.

  1. Check the box for listing the workshop(s) on our website and if time permitsyou listing will be in the quarterly newsletter.
  2. Non-profit organizations workshops with no registration fee and open to any interested licensed professional counselor, Advertising fee may be waived. Please make a written request (via email) for this consideration.
  3. You may purchase an electronically delivered LPCA member mailing list (US Mail – no email address’) to advertise the approved workshop. For information about the cost and ordering procedure, view details on the website under the Career & Training tab. YOU MAY NOT ADVERTISE “pending” CE approval or approval for any LPCA certification programs without written authorization.

SECTION VI POLICY/ PROCEDURE CE

  1. Submission of an appropriately completed application does NOT guarantee approval of the application, the workshop must demonstrate:

a)Clearly stated goals and at least three (3) objectives,

b)Content directly related to the practice of professional counseling (clinical), and

c)Presenters/Speakers possess and show proof of appropriate professional expertise in the subject being presented.

d)CE approval is provisional until payment is completed.

e) Licensing Board Rule states you are required to keep the list of all attendees on file for at least 3 years. For License Renewal LPCA request you Email a copy of the list of attendees. Spreadsheet preferred: License #, Last Name, First Name, license number, Address, city, state, and zip. This list must identify the presenting organization, name and date of workshop, and the name of attendee.

2. Why are CE workshops denied? Speaker does not have proof of “expertise” in the subject of presentation, no dates listed, Yoga, enneagram, Reiki, do not meet “clinical” presentation (how will this help the client).

SECTION VII NO-REFUND POLICY non-refundable processing fees apply:

a)Application Processing Fees are non-refundable. Approvals are not final until fees have been processed.

b)Fees may be paid by Credit Card on-line, click on the tab Career & Training tab, CE Applications, complete and submit the application to create an invoice.

c)If you mail or fax expect a slow turn around. Payable to LPCA. Federal ID # 58-1804738

d)Or call the LPCA office 770-449-4547 we accept all Credit Cards and/or Purchase Orders from corporations, government agencies, and colleges and universities.

e)Proof of payment (including check requests) must be shown or application will not be processed.

EMAIL ALL COMPLETED APPLICATIONS AND PAY ONLINE: Career & Training

Or Fax or Mail to:

LPCA CE Chair

3091 Governors Lake Dr NW Ste 570

Norcross, GA 30071

Phone: (770) 449-4547

Fax: (404) 370-0006

Drafted: 08-02-04, Updated: 02-14-07, Revised: 08-27-08, 09-19-10, (2011) 06-01,1-11, 05-01-12, 07-31-12, 11-28-12, 11-05-13, (2014) 02-05,04-05,06-23, 07-15, 12-12-14, 08-31-15, 05-31-16, 06-14-16, 7-7-17, 10-24-17