MFT Continuing Education – What Is Necessary And How To Attain Them
The professional licensed Marriage and family therapist will have met some very strict educational requirements in every state in the union. In addition to this educational process are MFT continuing education requirements for license renewal in most states. Each state has their own requirements as regards to the content of the allowable MFT CEUs but all states will have a minimum number of CEUs required regardless of the content. The challenge for the busy MFT has been traditionally to find enough time in an already full schedule to personally attend seminars and classes which may count toward their MFT continuing education requirements and hence been considered a necessity. Fortunately, distance learning for MFT CEUs has lightened this burden considerably.
MFT continuing education may be satisfied at least in part, in some states by therapists who publish research papers or studies in professional journals. The requirements as well as limits on publication for CEUs vary from state to state. While family dynamics, ethics and laws are in flux especially in times of economic pressure, the demands on the MFT’s time increase. What this means in terms of satisfying CE requirements is that there is simply less time to keep up with more.
Satisfying MFT Continuing Education Requirements
Most MFT licenses are granted for a period of 2 to 4 years. The traditional way to renew this license was to personally attend a workshop or seminar. The good news is that most states don’t mandate that all of the required CEUs be obtained in this manner. Now there is greater flexibility on how to fulfill the mandated continuing education.
One of the options, as previously stated, to fulfill CEUs for MFT continuing education is the submission of published research papers. Most states will allow this, but with limitation, usually up to 10 hours of credit. It will be important to note that specific documentation will need to be submitted with the request to use this method.
In-person courses/seminars are required for a portion of the needed CEUs in most states. Although, to the benefit of all, every state allows for a large portion of the required CEUs to be earned online. The busy therapist may often be helping families with time management and prioritizing, but struggling with time issues in their own lives. Online MFT CEUs can help maximize the available time while allowing the MFT to focus upon their practice.
Each licensed therapist needs to be aware of the limits set by their respective state board in regards to the utilization of online CEUs for MFTs. These rules may change from year to year. There are a few states, California being one of them, that allows all required units be obtained from an online source. In California, the one caveat to this is the program needs to have an interactive component with electronic processing of the exam. Otherwise, California limits the self-study programs to only half of the total requirements. Other states may have similar restrictions. With the rapid changes in technology and the increasing reliability of online programs, this trend of availability and permissibility will only increase as well.
Aspira is a leader in online MFT CEUs, proving to be a valuable resource in obtaining continuing education for MFTs. Aspira offers many courses to choose from in an user-friendly website. Visit Aspira at www.aspirace.com today!