Certification – Idaho Association for Play Therapy

Criteria for Continuing Education Certification

The criteria that is used when IDAPT plans its trainings and conferences is designed to fulfill the requirements for both the State of Idaho’s Licensing Boards as well as the National Association’s criteria. While we do not apply for our conferences to be pre-approved by all of the licensures, if you will look under the specifications for each licensure you will see that our trainings qualify to be used as CE s with all of them. There are more specifications concerning this criteria listed under each type of licensure.

National Credentials

Association for Play Therapy Guidelines

IDAPT is approved by the Association for Play Therapy to offer continuing education specific to play therapy (APT Provider # 05-167). CE hours are available for Social Workers, Counselors, and Marriage and Family Therapists.

See the APT website for complete details www.a4pt.org.

Mission

The mission of the Association for Play TherapyTM (APT), a national professional society formed in 1982, is to promote the value of play, play therapy, and credentialed play therapists.

Purpose

APT acknowledges both the importance of effective communications with and mental health treatment for children, teens, and adults, and the consumer’s right to make informed choices, particularly the choice of the play therapy modality as one treatment option.

APT confers its Registered Play TherapistTM (RPT) and Registered Play Therapist-SupervisorTM (RPT-S) credentials upon those licensed professional mental health practitioners in order to better help consumers to identify those licensed mental health professionals with specialized training and experience in play therapy.

APT further designates individuals, organizations, and companies as Approved ProvidersTM of APT-approved play therapy continuing education in order to:

1. Establish standards of play therapy training.
2. Identify play therapy training that mental health professionals can apply towards earning or renewing the Registered Play Therapist (RPT) or Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor (RPT-S) credentials.
3. Ensure access by play therapists to numerous play therapy training opportunities.
4. Introduce the value of play therapy and APT membership to non-member mental health professionals.

National Board for Certified Counselors

Information Taken from the NBCC web site. www.nbcc.org:

Found under the title: Resources and Recertifications/Frequently asked questions:

How can I tell if my continuing education will count toward recertification?

If the event is NBCC approved, acceptance is automatic. If it is NOT NBCC approved, the topic must meet one of the Nine Approved Content Areas; it must be designed for mental health or career counseling professionals; if it is self-help, it must contain information on how to use the information in a counseling setting; if it is unrelated to the Nine Approved Content Areas, you must be able to submit a written statement as to how it enhances your direct service to your clients.

Does the continuing education I take have to be NBCC approved?

No, as long as it meets NBCC guidelines (which are in the continuing education file), and you have proof of attendance, NBCC will accept it.

What about programs that do not meet NBCC Continuing Education guidelines?

NCCs are allowed to take up to 20 of the 100 hours from continuing education events that do not meet one of the 10 content areas as long as they can prove attendance and can supply a written statement regarding how the activity enhanced their direct service to their clients.

More information is available on the website Under Continuing Education guidelines.

National Association of Social Workers

Information taken from the NASW web site www.naswdc.org:

Continuing Education Requirements

Total: 48 Hours every Two Years

Standards for Continuing Professional Education Standards for Social Workers

Standard 1. Personal Responsibility
Social workers shall assume personal responsibility for continuing professional education.

Standard 2. 48 Hours Every Two Years
Social workers shall complete 48 hours of continuing professional education every two years.

Standard 3. Development and Improvement
Social workers shall contribute to the development and improvement of continuing professional education.

Program Content—Continuing education events for social workers should clearly relate to social work practice, theory, and methodology; to the level of social work education; to social policy; or to administration, planning, and research related to human services. As a guide for participation, learning objectives and content designed to meet those objectives should be specified for each event. The way in which the content will meet the learning needs of social workers also should be made clear. Such information should be provided on promotional materials or upon request.

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) views continuing education as an essential activity for ensuring quality social work services for clients. By consistent participation in educational opportunities beyond the basic, entry-level professional degree, social workers are able to maintain and increase their proficiency in service delivery: New knowledge is acquired, skills are refined, professional attitudes are reinforced, and individual’s lives are changed. Continuing education is a self-directed process, which requires social workers to assume responsibility for their own professional development. However, with the rapid growth of knowledge, coupled with the upsurge in continuing education opportunities for social workers across the country, NASW recognized the need for standards to guide and facilitate social workers’ involvement in continuing education. This document, Standards for Continuing Professional Education, was developed to meet that need. The standards provide guidance to social workers who want to match their continuing education activities with professional expectations. The standards also serve as a resource to assist social workers in the selection and provision of continuing education. In light of these broad purposes, the standards are intended for use by individual practitioners, by providers of continuing education, and by agency administrators who have responsibility for social work staff. For the practitioner the standards encourage self-assessment with regard to continuing education activities and provide the means to assess the qualifications of those offering continuing education. For the provider the standards set professional expectations to help plan continuing education events and to help ensure that continuing education offerings are responsive to the learning needs of social workers. For the administrator the standards establish policy and practice guidelines for social work staff’s involvement in continuing education. It is expected that all members of NASW will adhere to the Standards for Continuing Professional Education, and it is hoped that the standards will stimulate the establishment of programs to recognize social workers for their commitment to continuing education. Most states have established continuing education requirements for social work licensing, and some NASW chapters have taken steps to establish continuing education approval programs. These programs help ensure that continuing education offerings meet professional expectations for educational quality and breadth. Social workers are reminded that this document represents professional standards. Social workers who hold state licenses or other credentials and/or are required from employers and managed care companies to complete a certain amount of continuing education credits are reminded to refer to those entities for guidance and requirements.

Idaho Social Work Licensing Board Endorses the NASW CE Approval Program.

For the full list of criteria see the NASW web site www.naswdc.org/credentials

State Licensing Boards

Idaho Social Work Guidelines

Continuing Education
The continuing education requirement is 20 hours annually. Continuing education must include one hour in Professional Ethics every year. Completed continuing education in excess of 20 hours may be carried over for the following renewal period. For more complete information about CE requirements see http://ibol.idaho.gov/swo.htm

Idaho Counselor Guidelines

GENERAL INFORMATION FOR MAINTAINING IDAHO CONTINUING EDUCATION

20 HOURS OF CONTINUING EDUCATION ARE REQUIRED UPON APPLICATION FOR RENEWAL OF A LICENSE AND EVERY YEAR THEREAFTER.

METHODS OF EARNING CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDIT AND REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION:

1. COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY COURSES FOR CREDIT OR AUDIT: Copy of transcript or grade report.

2. SEMINARS, WORKSHOPS, CONFERENCES, ETC: Copy of the certificate or letter of attendance.

3. PUBLICATIONS: Copy of the title page or table of contents.

4. PRESENTATIONS: Copy of the letter of acknowledgment from host organization and/or copy of the evaluations with speaker’s name.

5. SUPERVISION OR/CONSULTATION: Letter from supervisor or consultant listing dates and number of hours of supervision.

6. DISSERTATION: Copy of transcript.

7. LEADERSHIP: Letter of confirmation or letterhead from the organization.

8. HOME STUDY/ON-LINE EDUCATION: Copy of certificate from the approved Provider.

For more complete information about CE requirements see http://ibol.idaho.gov/cou.htm

Idaho Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) Guidelines