Illinois Administrative Code
Title 68 - PROFESSIONS AND OCCUPATIONS
Part 1375 - PROFESSIONAL COUNSELOR AND CLINICAL PROFESSIONAL COUNSELOR LICENSING ACT
Subpart C - GENERAL
Section 1375.220 - Continuing Education
Universal Citation: 68 IL Admin Code ยง 1375.220
Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 12, March 22, 2024
a) Continuing Education Hours Requirements
1) In
order to renew a license, a licensee shall be required to complete 30 hours of
continuing education. All clinical professional counselors are required to
complete 18 hours in clinical supervision training of the 30 continuing
education hours required. This is a one-time (lifetime) requirement. All
supervision training successfully completed subsequent to September 1, 2003 can
be applied to the 18 hours of clinical supervision continuing education
required.
2) A prerenewal period is
the 24 months preceding March 31 of each odd-numbered year.
3) CE requirements shall be the same for
licensed professional counselors and licensed clinical professional
counselors.
4) One CE hour shall
equal one clock hour 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 the State of Illinois.
b) Approved Continuing Education (CE)
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 (program) 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 credits may be
earned for successful completion of a course (e.g., by mail, computer,
pre-recorded online course/program, live online course/program, etc.) that is
offered by an approved sponsor who meets the requirements set forth in
subsection (c). Each course shall include an examination.
3) CE credit 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 credit 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 will be applied 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 credit 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 as 5
hours of credit. A presentation must be before an audience of professional
counselors. Five credit hours may be claimed for only the first time the
information is published or presented.
6) A maximum of 8 hours of CE credit 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.
7) A maximum of 6 hours of CE credit 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; and
H) Any other
accredited school, college or university, State agency, or 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 and programs.
2)
An entity seeking approval as a CE sponsor pursuant to subsection (c)(1)(H)
shall submit an application, on forms supplied by the Division, along with the
fee set forth in Section
1375.205. (State agencies,
State colleges and State universities in Illinois shall be exempt from paying
this fee.) The application shall include:
A)
Certification:
i) That all programs 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 program 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 program with faculty,
course materials and syllabi.
3) All programs 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 program;
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 program shall provide a mechanism for evaluation of the program and
instructor by the participants. The evaluation may be completed on-site
immediately following the program presentation or an evaluation questionnaire
may be distributed to participants to be completed and returned by mail. The
sponsor and the instructor, together, shall review the evaluation outcome and
revise subsequent programs accordingly.
5) An approved sponsor may subcontract with
individuals and organizations to provide approved programs. All advertising,
promotional materials, and certificates of attendance must identify the
licensed sponsor and the sponsor's license number. The presenter of the program
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 program meets all of the criteria established by the Act and
this Part, including the maintenance of records.
6) All programs 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 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 and programs 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 program 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 program;
E) The date and place of the program;
and
F) The signature of the sponsor
or person responsible for the CE program.
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 program.
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 programs 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
program 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 an interview 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 Earned in Other Jurisdictions
1) If a licensee has earned 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 program approval request
form, along with a $25 processing fee, prior to participation in the program or
within 90 days after expiration of the license. The Board shall review and
recommend approval or disapproval of the program using the criteria set forth
in subsection (c)(3).
2) If a
licensee fails to submit an out of state CE approval form within the required
time frame, 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).
f) Restoration of Nonrenewed License. Upon satisfactory evidence of compliance with CE requirements, 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
shall 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 on the basis of
these facts. A request for waiver shall be made prior to the renewal date. If
the Division, upon the written recommendation of the Board, finds, from such
affidavit or any other evidence submitted, that extreme hardship 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) Extreme hardship shall be determined on an
individual basis by the Board and be 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 a
substantial part of the pre-renewal period;
B) An incapacitating illness documented by a
statement from a currently licensed physician;
C) A physical inability to travel to the
sites of approved programs documented by a currently licensed physician;
or
D) 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.
Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Illinois may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google
Privacy Policy and
Terms of Service apply.