Ill. Admin. Code tit. 68, § 1375.220 - Continuing Education
a)
Continuing Education (CE) Hours Requirements
1) A licensee shall complete 30 hours of CE
during the 24 months preceding renewal.
2) At least 3 of the CE hours must include
content related to ethics in the practice of counseling. It is recommended that
licensees review the American Counseling Association's 2014 ACA Code of Ethics
and Section 1375.225 (Unprofessional
Conduct). Additionally, CE must be obtained as set forth in 68 Ill. Adm. Code
1130 Subpart E.
3) Upon the second
renewal of a clinical professional counselor license, 9 of the required 30 CE
hours shall be in clinical supervision training. This is a one-time (lifetime)
requirement.
4) One CE hour shall
equal 50 minutes of attendance. After completion of the initial CE hour, credit
may be given in one-half hour increments.
5) A renewal applicant shall not be required
to comply with CE requirements for the first renewal of an Illinois
license.
6) Professional counselors
or clinical professional counselors licensed in Illinois but residing and
practicing in other states or jurisdictions shall comply with the CE
requirements set forth in this Section.
7) Continuing education credit hours used to
satisfy the CE requirements of another jurisdiction may be applied to fulfill
the CE requirements of this Section as set forth in subsection (e).
b) Approved Continuing Education
1) CE hours shall be earned by verified
attendance (e.g., certificate of attendance or certificate of completion) at or
participation in a program or course (herein after "course") that is offered or
sponsored by an approved continuing education sponsor who meets the
requirements set forth in subsection (c), except for those activities provided
in subsections (b)(2), (3) and (4).
2) CE hours may be earned for successful
completion of courses in person or remote. Remote courses may be live or
recorded and may include a course by mail, computer, pre-recorded online
course/program, live online course, etc. that are offered by an approved
sponsor who meets the requirements set forth in subsection (c). Each course
shall include an examination.
3) CE
hours may be earned through postgraduate training programs (e.g., extern,
residency, or fellowship programs) or completion of professional counseling
related courses that are a part of the curriculum of a college, university, or
graduate school. Courses that are part of the curriculum of a university,
college, or other educational institution shall be allotted CE credit at the
rate of 15 CE hours for each semester hour or 10 CE hours for each quarter hour
of school credit awarded.
4) CE
hours may be earned for verified teaching in the field of counseling in an
accredited college, university, or graduate school and/or as an instructor of
continuing education programs given by approved sponsors. Credit shall be
allotted at the rate of
1.5 hours for every hour taught
and only for the first presentation of the program (i.e., credit shall not be
allowed for repetitious presentations of the same program). A maximum of 10
hours of CE credit may be obtained in this category per prerenewal
period.
5) CE hours may be earned
for authoring papers, publications, dissertations, or books and for preparing
presentations and exhibits in the field of counseling. The preparation of each
published paper, book chapter, or professional presentation dealing with
professional counseling or clinical professional counseling may be claimed for
up to 10 hours of credit. A presentation must be before an audience of
professional counselors. 10 credit hours may be claimed for only the first time
the information is published or presented.
6) A maximum of 8 hours of CE may be earned
per renewal period for clinical supervision received or provided on a regular
basis with a set agenda. Clinical supervision shall be documented with a letter
from the supervisor indicating the start and end dates in which the supervision
occurred, the site where supervision was provided, the number of hours of
participation and the name and license number of the supervisor. The letter
shall be signed by the supervisor and the supervisee and shall be proof of
clinical supervision received and provided.
7) A maximum of 6 hours of CE may be earned
per renewal period for leadership activities. These activities include, but are
not limited to, officer of a state or national counseling organization; editor
of a professional counseling journal; member of a national counselor
certification board; member of a national ethics disciplinary review committee;
chair of a major counseling conference or convention; active member of a
counseling committee producing a substantial written product. The leadership
shall be documented in a letter of confirmation on the organization's
letterhead and shall include the start and end dates of leadership, the name of
the organization and the position held.
c) Approved CE Sponsors and Programs
1) Sponsor, as used in this Section, shall
mean:
A) National Board for Certified
Counselors or its affiliates;
B)
American Counseling Association or its affiliates;
C) Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor or
its affiliates;
D) American
Association for Marriage and Family Therapy or its affiliates;
E) Employee Assistance Professional
Association (EAPA) and Employee Assistance Society of North America (EASNA) or
its affiliates;
F) Social Work
Continuing Education Sponsors approved by the Division in accordance with the
rules for the administration of Clinical Social Work and Social Work Practice
Act [225 ILCS 20], 68 Ill. Adm. Code
1470.95;
G) American Psychological Association or its
affiliates;
H) Illinois Counseling
Association or its affiliates;
I)
Illinois Mental Health Counselors Association or its affiliates;
J) American Medical Association or its
affiliates;
K) Marriage and Family
Therapy Continuing Education Sponsors approved by the Division in accordance
with the Marriage and Family Therapy Licensing Act [225 ILCS 55] and 68 Ill.
Adm. Code 1283.110;
L) Clinical Psychologist Continuing Education
Sponsors approved by the Division in accordance with the Clinical Psychologist
Licensing Act [225 ILCS 15] and 68 Ill. Adm. Code
1400.85;
M) Accredited colleges, universities, State
agencies; and
N) Any other person,
firm, or association that has been approved and authorized by the Division
pursuant to subsection (c)(2) to coordinate and present continuing education
courses.
2) An entity
seeking approval as a CE sponsor pursuant to subsection (c)(1)(N) shall submit
an application, on forms supplied by the Division, along with the fee set forth
in Section 1375.205. (State agencies, State
colleges, community colleges, and State universities in Illinois shall be
exempt from paying this fee.) The application shall include:
A) Certification:
i) That all courses offered by the sponsor
for CE credit shall comply with the criteria in subsection (c)(3) and all other
criteria in this Section;
ii) That
the sponsor shall be responsible for verifying full-time continuous attendance
at each course and provide a certificate of attendance as set forth in
subsection (c)(9);
iii) That, upon
request by the Division, the sponsor shall submit evidence (e.g., certificate
of attendance or course material) as is necessary to establish compliance with
this Section. Evidence shall be required when the Division has reason to
believe that there is not full compliance with the statute and this Part and
that this information is necessary to ensure compliance;
B) A copy of a sample course with faculty,
course materials and syllabi.
3) All courses shall:
A) Contribute to the advancement, extension
and enhancement of the professional skills and scientific knowledge of the
licensee in the practice of professional counseling or clinical professional
counseling;
B) Foster the
enhancement of general or specialized counseling or clinical counseling
practice and values;
C) Be
developed and presented by persons with education and/or experience in the
subject matter of the course;
D)
Specify the course objectives, course content and teaching methods to be used;
and
E) Specify the number of CE
hours that may be applied to fulfilling the Illinois CE requirements for
license renewal.
4) Each
CE course shall provide a mechanism for evaluation of the course and instructor
by the participants. The evaluation may be completed on-site immediately
following the course presentation or an evaluation questionnaire may be
distributed to participants to be completed and returned by mail or
electronically. The sponsor and the instructor, together, shall review the
evaluation outcome and revise subsequent courses accordingly.
5) An approved sponsor may subcontract with
individuals and organizations to provide approved courses. All advertising,
promotional materials, and certificates of attendance must identify the
licensed sponsor and the sponsor's license number. The presenter of the course
may also be identified but should be identified as a presenter. When a licensed
sponsor subcontracts with a presenter, the licensed sponsor retains all
responsibility for monitoring attendance, providing certificates of attendance
and ensuring the course meets all of the criteria established by the Act and
this Part, including the maintenance of records.
6) All courses given by approved sponsors
shall be open to all licensed professional counselors and licensed clinical
professional counselors and not be limited to members of a single organization
or group.
7) To maintain approval
as a sponsor pursuant to subsection (c)(2), each sponsor shall submit to the
Division by March 30 of each odd-numbered year a renewal application, the fee
set forth in Section 1375.205 and a list of courses
offered within the last 24 months. The list shall include a brief description,
location, date, and time of each course given by the sponsor and by any
subcontractor.
8) Certification of
Attendance. It shall be the responsibility of a sponsor to provide each
participant in a course with a certificate of attendance or participation. The
sponsor's certificate of attendance shall contain:
A) The name, address and license number of
the sponsor;
B) The name and
address of the participant;
C) A
brief statement of the subject matter;
D) The number of hours attended in each
course;
E) The date and place of
the course; and
F) The signature of
the sponsor or person responsible for the CE course.
9) The sponsor shall maintain attendance
records for not less than 5 years.
10) The sponsor shall be responsible for
assuring that no renewal applicant shall receive CE credit for time not
actually spent attending the course.
11) Upon the failure of a sponsor to comply
with any of the requirements of this Section, the Division, after notice to the
sponsor and hearing before and recommendation by the Board (see 68 Ill. Adm.
Code 1110), shall thereafter refuse to accept for CE credit attendance at or
participation in any of that sponsor's CE courses until such time as the
Division receives assurances of compliance with this Section.
12) Notwithstanding any other provision of
this Section, the Division or Board may evaluate any sponsor of any approved CE
course at any time to ensure compliance with requirements of this
Section.
d) Certification
of Compliance with CE Requirements
1) Each
renewal applicant shall certify, on the renewal application, full compliance
with the CE requirements set forth in subsections (a) and (b).
2) The Division may require additional
evidence demonstrating compliance with the CE requirements (e.g., certificate
of attendance). This additional evidence shall be required in the context of
the Division's random audit. It is the responsibility of each renewal applicant
to retain or otherwise produce evidence of compliance.
3) When there appears to be a lack of
compliance with CE requirements, an applicant shall be notified in writing and
may request a hearing with the Board. At that time the Board may recommend that
steps be taken to begin formal disciplinary proceedings as required by Section
10-65 of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act [5 ILCS
100].
e) Continuing
Education Attended in Other Jurisdictions
1)
If a licensee attended or is seeking CE hours offered in another jurisdiction
not given by an approved sponsor for which the licensee will be claiming credit
toward full compliance in Illinois, the applicant shall submit an individual
course approval request form, along with a $25 processing fee, prior to
participation in the course. The course shall be reviewed using the criteria
set forth in subsection (c)(3).
2)
If a licensee fails to submit an out of state CE approval form prior to
participation in the course, late approval may be obtained by submitting the
approval request form with the $25 processing fee plus a $50 per CE hour late
fee not to exceed $300. The Board shall review and recommend approval or
disapproval of the program using the criteria set forth in subsection
(c)(3).
3) CE completed remotely
whether live or asynchronous (e.g., self-study, book-study, or computer/online
based course) is not eligible for out-of-state CE credit. Instead it must be
provided by an approved CE provider as set forth in subsection
(b)(2).
f) Restoration of
Nonrenewed License. Upon satisfactory evidence of compliance with CE
requirements and the provisions of Section
1375.80 or
1375.170, the Division shall
restore the license upon payment of the required fee as provided in Section
1375.205.
g) Waiver of CE
Requirements
1) Any renewal applicant seeking
renewal of a license without having fully complied with these CE requirements
may file with the Division a renewal application along with the required fee
set forth in Section 1375.205; a statement setting forth the facts concerning
noncompliance; and request for waiver of the CE requirements based upon those
facts. A request for waiver shall be made prior to the renewal date. If the
Division, upon the written recommendation of the Board, finds that good cause
has been shown for granting a waiver, the Division shall waive enforcement of
CE requirements for the renewal period for which the applicant has
applied.
2) Good cause shall be
determined on an individual basis by the Board and is defined as an inability
to devote sufficient hours to fulfilling the CE requirements during the
applicable pre-renewal period because of:
A)
Full-time service in the armed forces of the United States of America during
all or a substantial part of the pre-renewal period;
B) A temporary incapacitating illness
documented by a licensed physician. A second, consecutive request for a CE
waiver pursuant to this subsection (g)(2)(B) shall be prima facie proof that
the renewal applicant has a physical or mental illness, including, but not
limited to, deterioration through the aging process or loss of cognitive or
motor skills that results in the licensee's inability to practice professional
counseling or clinical professional counseling with reasonable judgment, skill
or safety, in violation of Section 80(a)(18) of the Act, and shall be grounds
for denial of the renewal application or other disciplinary or non-disciplinary
action; or
C) Any other similar
extenuating circumstances.
3) Any renewal applicant who, prior to the
expiration date of the license, submits a request for a waiver, in whole or in
part, pursuant to the provisions of this Section shall be deemed to be in good
standing until the final decision on the application is made by the
Division.
Notes
Amended at 35 Ill. Reg. 7586, effective May 13, 2011
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