While I cannot guarantee that a course you complete with me will be accepted by your board for continuing education credits (in cases where the workshop/course has not been granted CE status with your professional association), I encourage you to review the following, as it may be helpful in assessing your comfort level for using a training with me for continuing education credit:

 

I regularly review the guidelines for providing continuing education for social workers and counseling professionals in the State of Maine. In August 2017, I called both boards directly to verify that the online materials were up to date and to confirm my understanding of the requirements. Both boards confirmed that they no longer accept submissions from CE providers for pre-approval of their courses. I again checked in the fall 2022, online, to confirm that the below remains accurate:
 

It is the responsibility of the licensee to ensure that they are submitting documentation for appropriate coursework, which relates directly to counseling or social work practice and theory. The boards allow licensees to submit CE credits for courses that have not been pre-approved by your professional association, but the final determination of the acceptability of continuing education hours rests with the board*.

 

Licensees are advised to save their certificates of completion, as well as descriptions and agendas of continuing education programs, in case they need to provide additional information during an audit. Topics such as computer-related training, time management, supervisory sessions, and personal enrichment are examples of what would likely not be accepted for continuing education credit.

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If you hold a license outside of Maine, it is important to familiarize yourself with the requirements of your licensing board to determine the appropriateness of submission of continuing education hours from my workshops or other workshops.

 

To better understand the guidelines for the State of Maine, you can refer to the "Guide for Providers of Continuing Education for Social Workers 2012" and the relevant sections of the Board of Social Work's and Board of Counseling Professional Licensure's rules and regulations. You can find these resources at the following links:

• Guide for Providers of Continuing Education for Social Workers 2012: https://www.maine.gov/pfr/professionallicensing/sites/maine.gov.pfr.professionallicensing/files/inline-files/SW-CE-Handbook.pdf

• Board of Social Work's rules and regulations: http://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/rules/02/chaps02.htm#514

• Board of Counseling Professional Licensure's rules and regulations: download the document at http://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/rules/02/chaps02.htm#514 and refer to Chapter 7A for the section on continuing education."

 

*The pre-approved CE's you sometimes encounter or seek for workshops are granted by professional associations, and not by the licensing boards. Presumably an audit for CE's by your board readily accepts a course that was approved by your professional association (such as NASW); they would look more closely at your saved materials as well as any certificate you received if the CE's were not granted by a professional association.