Current through Supplement No. 394, October, 2024
1. A licensee must
regularly engage in continuing education related to the practice of marriage
and family therapy as defined in this section.
2. Licensed marriage and family therapists
must complete a minimum of thirty hours of continuing education every two
years, of which six hours must be ethics. Licensed associates must complete
fifteen hours of continuing education every year, of which three hours must be
ethics. A board approved supervisor or American association for marriage and
family therapy approved supervisor shall dedicate ten percent, three continuing
education units, of continuing education in courses on supervision. The
required number of hours shall be prorated for persons who are initially
licensed during a given reporting period. Licensed marriage and family
therapists shall attest to the board as to completion of the required hours
upon renewal of the license in each odd-numbered year. Licensed associate
marriage and family therapists shall attest to the board as to completion of
the required hours upon renewal of the license each year. At the time of
license renewal in each odd-numbered year or at the time of application for
reinstatement of a license, a licensed marriage and family therapist shall
attest to completion of a minimum of thirty approved continuing education hours
since last renewal or the minimum number required for reinstatement. Failure to
complete the attestation required results in nonrenewal of licensure.
3. When the licensee applies for renewal of
the license in the odd-numbered year or is audited, the licensee must submit
documentation of the licensee's completion of the required hours of continuing
education on an appropriate form furnished by the board. A receipt for payment
of the fees for the course is not sufficient evidence of completion of the
required hours of continuing education. Licensees shall keep attendance
certificates for at least five years as the board may conduct random audits to
verify compliance with subsection 2.
4. A course may not be counted toward a
licensee's continuing education requirements unless it has been approved by the
board according to the procedures in this subsection and subsections 5 to 10.
Courses may be approved for all attendees when submitted by the sponsor as
prescribed in subsection 11 or a licensee may request individual approval as
prescribed in subsection 6. The board shall consider the following factors in
determining whether a course should be approved:
a. The course's relevance to the therapeutic
practices of marriage and family therapy.
b. Whether the course is structured on sound
educational principles and fits into one of the following categories:
(1) Structured educational programs with an
instructor as a part of conventions, workshops, seminars, lectures, interactive
media, and graduate and postgraduate courses from regionally accredited
institutions. All coursework must include the areas described in subdivision d;
and
(2) Home study courses related
to marriage and family therapy as described in subdivision d. Programs must
have an independently graded test component. No more than one-half, or fifteen
continuing education unit hours, of the required thirty continuing education
hours may be earned by this method.
c. Whether the course is at least one hour in
length. "One hour" means at least fifty minutes spent as a student in direct
participation in a structured educational format. Time for home study courses
shall be based on developer's research on average time to complete.
d. Whether the subject of the course is
related to marriage and family therapy with an emphasis upon systemic
approaches or the theory, research, or practice of psychotherapeutic work with
couples or families. Continuing education for marriage and family therapy
generally evolves from the following areas:
(1) Historical, theoretical foundations, and
contemporary conceptual directions of the field of marriage and family
therapy;
(2) Assessment, diagnosis,
and treatment in marriage and family therapy including both dysfunctional
relationship patterns and nervous and mental disorders, whether cognitive,
affective, or behavioral;
(3)
Family studies including the life cycle of the family, the process and
modification of family structures over time, and issues related to ethnicity,
race, socioeconomic status, culture, gender, and sexuality;
(4) Human development including human
behavior, personality theory, sexuality, psychopathology, behavior pathology,
and physical and mental impairments and disabilities that affect normal
development;
(5) Ethics and
professional studies covering legal responsibilities and liabilities of
licensure, clinical practice, research, family law, and confidentiality issues;
and
(6) Supervision in marriage and
family therapy including theories and practices.
e. Whether the course's instructors or
developers are qualified by practical or academic experience to teach, lecture,
make presentations, or develop courses.
5. The board may use a committee, which may
include nonboard members, to evaluate applications for course
approval.
6. A licensee's
application for course approval:
a. A licensee
must apply individually for approval of continuing education courses that have
not been approved by the board in subsection 11. The licensee must submit
information required in subdivision b, as well as other information the board
reasonably requires to evaluate the course for approval.
b. The following information must be
submitted to the board, in addition to the form required in subsection 3, by
the licensee:
(1) The name and address of the
organization sponsoring the course;
(2) A detailed description of the course
content;
(3) The name of each
instructor or presenter and the instructor's or presenter's credentials;
and
(4) The location, including the
name and address of the facility, at which the course will be
conducted.
c. Licensees
seeking approval for a course not previously approved by the board are strongly
encouraged to seek board approval before attending the course. Licensees have
sixty days following the continuing education event to seek approval for a
course not preapproved in advance by the board.
d. All American association for marriage and
family therapy approved continuing education are deemed approved by the North
Dakota marriage and family therapy licensure board. All individual state
marriage and family therapy board approved continuing education must be
approved by the North Dakota marriage and family therapy licensure
board.
e. The board shall deny
approval for a course if it does not meet the standards in subsection 4. The
board shall notify the applicant in writing of its reasons for denying approval
of a course under this subsection.
7. Continuing education credit may not be
applied for marketing the business aspects of one's practice, time management,
supervisory sessions, staff orientation, agency activities that address
procedural issues, personal therapy, or other methods not structured on sound
education principles or contrary to the code of ethics. Continuing education
credit may be applied for the following programs that comply with the
requirements of subsection 4:
a. Programs
specifically listed in paragraphs 1 and 2 of subdivision b of subsection
4;
b. Teaching a marriage and
family course in an institution accredited by a regional accrediting
association. Continuing education hours may be earned only for the first time
the licensee teaches the course. The course must be related to marriage and
family therapy as described in subdivision d of subsection 4. Ten continuing
education hours may be earned for each semester credit-hour taught;
c. Research of an original nature directly
related to marriage and family therapy as described in paragraphs 1 to 6 of
subdivision d of subsection 4. This activity must be preapproved by the board.
Hours of credit for this activity shall be negotiated based on the nature of
the project. Contact the board for appropriate preapproval forms;
d. Authoring, editing, or reviewing in an
area of marriage and family therapy as described in subdivision d of subsection
4. Continuing education hours may be earned only in the year of publication.
The maximum hours earned are as follows:
(1)
Author of a professional book, thirty hours;
(2) Author of a professional book chapter or
journal article, fifteen hours;
(3)
Editor of a professional book or journal, twenty-five hours; and
(4) Journal article review, one hour per
manuscript;
e.
Presentations at workshops, seminars, symposia, meetings of professional
organizations, or postgraduate institutes. The presentation must be related to
marriage and family therapy as described in subdivision d of subsection 4. One
hour of development time equals one continuing education hour and up to three
hours of development time may be claimed for each hour of presentation.
Continuing education hours may be earned only for the licensee's first
presentation on the subject developed; and
f. Individually designed continuing education
activity. Licensees may submit proposals for continuing education activities
which do not meet other guidelines established within this section. The
proposal request must include the following:
(1) The rationale for pursuing an
individually designed activity;
(2)
Specific goals and objectives, and an explanation of how the goals and
objectives are related to the enhancement of the licensee's professional
skills;
(3) An outline of the
topics to be covered;
(4) A
description of related resources and activities;
(5) The proposed documentation of completion
of activity; and
(6) The estimate
of time to be expended on the activity and the number of continuing education
hours requested. The board shall have final say in the number of hours credited
for completion of such activity. Subdivisions d to f require preapproval. The
applicant must obtain preapproval forms from the board.
8. Continuing education shall be
credited on an hour-for-hour basis except as noted in subsection 7. "One hour"
means at least fifty minutes spent as a student in direct participation in a
structured educational format.
9. A
licensee whose license has not expired and who meets any of the following
conditions is exempt from continuing education requirements in this section if
the licensee files with the board an affidavit specifying that the licensee:
a. Is retired from practice and does not
perform marriage and family therapy services on a volunteer or free
basis;
b. Is permanently disabled
and unable to practice marriage and family therapy, accompanied by a statement
from the licensee's physician;
c.
Has been granted emeritus status as specified in section
111-02-04-05; or
d. Has been called to active duty in the
armed forces of the United States.
10. A licensee claiming exemption under
subsection 9 who later decides to resume practice must submit to the board,
before resuming practice, a written notice that the licensee intends to resume
practice. The licensee must also submit evidence that the licensee has
completed continuing education requirements that are equivalent to what the
requirements would have been without the exemption for the five years or any
portion of the five years immediately preceding the date of the notice of
intent to resume practice.
11.
Individuals, organizations, associations, corporations, educational
institutions, or groups intending to offer courses for approval shall submit to
the board a completed application on a form provided by the board. The course
sponsor must meet the requirements in subdivisions a through d to receive and
maintain course approval.
a. The application
for course approval must be submitted at least sixty days before the course is
scheduled to begin and must include the sponsor's application and an annual
nonrefundable continuing education course fee of one hundred dollars.
b. The application for course approval must
include the following information to enable the board to determine whether the
course meets the standards for board approval specified in subsection 4:
(1) A statement of the objectives of the
course and the knowledge the participants will have gained upon completion of
the course;
(2) A description of
the content and methodology of the course which will allow the participants to
meet the objectives;
(3) A
description of the method to be used by the participants to evaluate the
course;
(4) A listing of the
qualifications of each instructor or developer which shows the instructor's or
developer's current knowledge and skill in the course's subject; and
(5) A description of the certificate or other
form of verification of attendance distributed to each participant upon
successful completion of the course.
c. If the board approves a course, the board
shall assign a number to the course. The approval remains in effect for one
year from the date of initial approval. The board shall compile a list of
approved courses at least once per calendar year. To retain course approval, a
course sponsor must submit to the board a new application for course approval
required in subdivisions a and b and the application fee for approval of a
continuing education course required before the expiration of the one-year
period.
(1) Each sponsor of an approved course
may announce, as to a course that has been approved by the board, that: "This
course has been approved by the North Dakota Marriage and Family Therapy
Licensure Board for ___ hours of credit."
(2) The course sponsor shall submit proposed
changes in an approved course to the board for its approval.
d. The board shall approve or
disapprove a sponsor's application for course approval.
e. The board shall deny approval of a course
if it does not meet the standards in subsection 4. The board shall notify the
course sponsor in writing of its reasons for denying approval of a
course.
f. The board shall revoke
its approval of a course if a course sponsor fails to comply with subdivision c
and any part of subsection 4, or if a course sponsor falsifies information
requested by the board in the application for approval of a course.
General Authority: NDCC 43-53-05
Law Implemented: NDCC 43-53-05,
43-53-09
