Thursday, February 3, 2011

Continuing Education For MFTs - Existing Obligations And Options

To become a licensed Marriage and Family Therapists requires the completion of a Masters degree as well as many tenuous hours of clinical supervision. Once the license has been obtained there are continuing education requirements in order to keep the license active. These requirements vary somewhat from state to state. Most states specify certain course content to be obtained and most states have some sort of minimum number of CEUs needed for each renewal period. In the past the daunting task for the MFT was finding the time and resources to attend workshops, seminars and conferences that usually took place outside of their local area. The good news is that now there are far more options via the internet which are not as time devouring and costly.

Publishing research papers can be one way to stay on top of the changes in addition to fulfilling the MFT CEU expectations. The amount of credit allowed for this type of activity will differ between states. At least, this option allows the MFT to use their time more wisely and efficiently. Time is a valuable commodity and it seems that more is expected in the same amount of time.

Satisfying MFT Continuing Education Requirements

Attending an in-person seminar or workshop has been the main-stay for achieving CEUs for MFTs. This, however, can be difficult for some. Fortunately, most states don't make this a necessity for all of their continuing education requirements. All CE courses have to be completed within the time frame of the their license renewal period, which ranges from 2 to 4 years. And now there are a more choices and how to accomplish this.

As mentioned before, publishing professional papers is accepted for a limited number of MFT CEUs (up to 10 in many states). Documentation in the form of a bibliography or other verification must usually accompany this type of credit.

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 continuing education, proving to be a valuable source in obtaining continuing education for MFTs. Aspira offers many CE courses to choose from in an user-friendly website. Visit Aspira at www.aspirace.com today!

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