South Carolina Code of Regulations › Chapter 36 - DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, LICENSING AND REGULATION BOARD OF EXAMINERS FOR LICENSURE OF PROFESSIONAL COUNSELORS, MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPISTS, ADDICTION COUNSELORS, AND PSYCHO-EDUCATIONAL SPECIALISTS › Article 4 - CONTINUING EDUCATION › Section 36-16 - Continuing Education Requirements for Professional Counselors, Addiction Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists

Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 6, June 28, 2024
(1) Persons licensed as professional
			 counselors, addiction counselors, or marriage and family therapists shall
			 complete forty (40) hours of Board-approved continuing education, of which
			 thirty-four (34) hours must be related to their respective professional license
			 and six (6) hours must be specific to ethical standards related to their
			 respective professional license during every two-year licensure period. A
			 first-time licensee is not required to obtain continuing education for the
			 licensing period in which the initial license was obtained. After this first
			 renewal, the continuing education requirements shall apply. Persons holding
			 more than one license must complete fifty (50) hours of continuing education
			 during every two-year licensure period as a condition of renewal of their
			 licenses. Of the fifty (50) hours, six (6) hours must be specific to ethical
			 standards, and the remaining forty-four (44) hours divided as equally as
			 possible among the related disciplines. Persons licensed as professional
			 counselor supervisors, addiction counselor supervisors, or marriage and family
			 therapy supervisors must complete ten (10) hours of continuing education in
			 supervision of their discipline during every two-year licensure period as a
			 condition of renewal of their license. Persons holding multiple supervision
			 licenses must complete ten (10) hours of continuing education in supervision,
			 dividing the hours as equally as possible among each discipline.
(2) Any continuing education program
			 sponsored by a professional counselor certifying body, addiction counselor
			 certifying body, marriage and family therapy certifying body, or body approved
			 by the Board as a continuing education sponsoring body, or one of its regional
			 or state divisions, is automatically approved.
(3) Unapproved sponsoring organizations must
			 request advance approval on Board-approved forms ninety (90) days prior to each
			 continuing education event. In order to request approval, the sponsoring
			 organization must submit an agenda of the session, the curriculum vitae of all
			 presenters and a copy of the evaluation documents.
(4) Continuing education hours may be
			 obtained through continuing education programs and activities provided by
			 Board-approved continuing education providers, or licensees may obtain up to
			 twenty (20) hours of the required continuing education per two-year licensure
			 period by completing one or more of the following:
(a) a first time presentation of a paper,
			 workshop, or seminar for a national, regional, statewide, or other professional
			 meeting may be approved for a maximum of five (5) continuing education hours;
			 and
(b) a published paper in a
			 referred journal may be approved for a maximum of five (5) continuing education
			 hours and may be used only once; and
(c) preparation of a new or related course
			 for an educational institution or organization may be approved for a maximum of
			 five (5) continuing education hours; and