Pursuant to Connecticut General Statutes licensed professional counselors are required to participate in continuing education (CE) activities that meet the requirements of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies (RSA).  Please note the following:

Number of Hours

Each licensee applying for license renewal shall complete a minimum of 15 hours of qualifying continuing education during the one-year period for which the license has been renewed.  

For registration periods ending after January 1, 2016, each licensee applying for renewal is required to complete at least two contact hours of training or education (and not less than once every six years thereafter) on the topic of mental health conditions common to veterans and family members of veterans, including (A) determining whether a patient is a veteran or family member of a veteran, (B) screening for conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder, risk of suicide, depression and grief, and (C) suicide prevention training and on and after January 1, 2018, not less than three contact hours of training or education each registration period in the topic of professional ethics.

Qualifying Continuing Education

Qualifying continuing education activities include the following: courses offered or approved by the National Board of Certified Counselors, the American Counseling Association, the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy, the National Association of Social Workers, the Association of Social Work Boards, the American Psychological Association,  or their affiliates, or the Connecticut Department of Education or the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services; graduate coursework in or related to the discipline of professional counseling offered by a regionally accredited academic institution, either audited or by credit; or programs in or related to the discipline of professional counseling sponsored or approved by a regionally accredited academic institution, provided the coursework is clearly related to maintaining skills necessary for the safe and competent practice of professional counseling. 

The Department does not approve continuing education courses or pre-approve specific coursework for individual licensees nor does the Department maintain a list of continuing education courses.

Activities which do not qualify for award of contact hours include: professional organizational business meetings; speeches delivered at luncheons or banquets; reading of books, articles, or professional journals; correspondence courses and other mechanisms of self instruction, except when used as a component of a home study program; and audio-visual materials, except when the latter is used as a component of a qualifying continuing education activity.  Home study programs may include distance learning and Internet-based educational programs.

For registration periods beginning on and after October 1, 2014, each licensee shall complete not less than one contact hour of training or education in each registration period on the topic of cultural competency. 

Documentation Requirements/Record Retention

Each licensee must obtain a certificate of completion from the provider of the continuing education for all continuing education hours that are successfully completed and shall retain such certificate for a minimum of 3 years following the date for which the activity satisfies the continuing education requirement.  Upon request by the Department, the licensee shall submit the certificate to the Department.   A licensee who fails to comply with the continuing education requirements, including failure to maintain proof of course completion, shall be subject to disciplinary action.

Exemptions/Waivers

A licensee who is applying for license renewal for the first time is exempt from continuing education requirements until such licensee’s next registration period.

A waiver of the continuing education requirements may be extended to a licensee who is not engaged in active practice during a given registration period provided the licensee submits, prior to the expiration of the registration period, a notarized application.  The application shall contain a statement that the licensee shall not engage in active practice until the licensee has shown proof of completion of the CE requirements as outlined above.

The Department may, for a licensee or certificate holder who has a medical disability or illness, grant a waiver of the continuing education requirements for a specific period of time or may grant the licensee or certificate holder an extension of time in which to fulfill the requirements.  Waivers must be requested annually, at the time of license or certificate renewal.  Please select this link for the form to request a waiver.