Further Education for Mental Health Clinicians: What’s the deal with CEUs?

Anton Chekhov famously wrote that “Wisdom…. comes not from age, but from education and learning.” As a therapist, there should be no assumption that now that you have received your degree you know all that you will ever need to. Lucky for you; you don’t really have a choice to avoid further education anyway if you want to keep working under your current license (ah dang, you have to keep learning). This comes in the form of Continuing Education Units.

Therapists need to be lifelong learners

This requirement may seem like a hassle, but it is actually a very good provision for those in behavioral health. This requirement ensures that clinicians are up to date with on important topics, up to date on the latest research, and that they continue to learn about new modalities in their field. It is a mandated opportunity to fine-tune some skills you are interested in, or motivation to seek out certification in a specific treatment modality.

All but two states (Hawaii and Michigan, what are you guys up to over there?) have a requirement of a certain amount of credit hours, or units, that each licensed professional needs to complete before renewing their license. These credits must be acquired within your license renewal cycle. For example, my license is up for renewal December 31st, 2023; it is important that I get all of my continuing education credits in before that date. It is not standard for someone to check each and every credit you have earned, but keep good track of these credits just in case you get audited and your licensing board needs proof! **Please refer to your state licensing board for specific details and timelines.

In person live courses or remote study on your own

It is important to note that many states require a portion of your CEUs to be “live”, meaning in the moment either via webinar or in-person. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, a live class required travel. I didn’t mind traveling to attend a class, but it was a bit of a hassle. I can say that it was nice for networking and meeting other counselors in the area. After the pandemic, these live courses became difficult to pull off; live webinars became the new live in-person class.

The other portion of your CEUs may be through a reading course, online course, or even podcast! These are convenient, because they can be done on your own time. It is something you can tick away at when a client cancels or when you are driving. It is important to verify that the course meets the specific accreditation needed (usually approved by the NBCC.)

Fantastic CEU options

At first glance, it may appear that a certain CEU company has a monopoly on this market. Don’t be fooled by their brilliant, yet super annoying and forest-destroying marketing strategy (If you know, you know)! In reality there are many options for getting both live and self study CEUs. I would like to highlight a few to consider. These are cost effective, have great customer service, and provide valuable teaching from a wide array of professionals in our field.

TZK Seminars. offers live CEU courses for a fraction of the cost of other webinars. You will not find an onslaught of course offerings, but quality over quantity is key here. Also, their customer service is consistent and personal.

Clearly Clinical. Podcasts for continuing education? Yes! This is a brilliant way to get those CEUs in while commuting, exercising, a walk in the woods or even cleaning your house.

OnlineCECredits. I have personally found this website to be easy to use, with great live and recorded seminars, and inexpensive.

Make an Impact. Their mission statement says it all: “With a wide variety of educational topics and expert faculty, we can help you make a positive impact on your clients and career – from the office or a comfy chair.”

Simple Practice Learning. I am a big fan of Simple Practice as a Practice Management Software. As a company, Simple Practice also offers a number of courses for professional development. You do not need to be a user of their products to take advantage of their CEU offerings.

TL;DR

Continuing Education Credits are a requirement for license renewal. There are a number of credits that must be earned between renewal cycles.

Most states require a portion of these credits to be “live”. The live courses can be in the form of an in-person class, or a live webinar. The other portion of these credits can be acquired from self paced, self study courses. These CEUs may be through a reading course, online course, or even podcast!

There are many companies that offer CEU courses. Some of more affordable than others! Consider more than just the popular companies that market well; you don’t want to be overcharged for a subpar course.