Continuing Education (CE)

This webpage provides background on psychology continuing education (CE) and information on how to get your learning activity approved for CE credit by the Society of Counseling Psychology (SCP), an American Psychological Association (APA) Approved Psychology CE Sponsor.

Background on Psychology CEs, APA, and SCP

Like all licensed mental health professionals, licensed psychologists must earn continuing education (CE) credits to maintain licensure in the state where they practice.  Psychology CEs can be earned in a variety of ways, which vary state by state.  A common way to earn psychology CEs is to participate in a CE activity (e.g., presentation, workshop, program, webinar, audiovisual or text homestudy) offered by a qualified psychology CE sponsor.  Each state psychology licensing board has different criteria and processes for designating an organization as a qualified psychology CE sponsor.  However, state psychology licensing boards tend to recognize the American Psychological Association (APA) as a qualified psychology CE sponsor.

In addition to being a qualified CE sponsor itself, APA sponsors individual organizations as Approved Psychology CE Sponsors. Sponsors are authorized by APA to offer psychology CEs to any professional who wants psychology CEs.  Typically only licensed psychology professionals are interested in obtaining such CEs, but there are exceptions (e.g., Licensed Clinical Social Workers whose state social work licensing board permits Licensed Clinical Social Workers to count earned psychology CEs toward their social work CE requirements for licensure renewal).  One can always attend a CE event for the learning experience, even if one does not need to obtain CE credit for having done so.  CE events may or may not cost money to attend and/or earn CE credit for.

Approved Psychology CE Sponsors have been vetted by APA to ensure that any psychology CE activities sponsored by those organizations are of sufficient quality.  APA Division 17, Society of Counseling Psychology (SCP) is approved by APA to sponsor CE for psychologists.  SCP maintains responsibility for all CE programs (including their planning, management, delivery, and evaluation) sponsored by SCP.  Because SCP is an Approved Psychology CE Sponsor, the CE activities that SCP sponsors are generally accepted by state psychology licensing boards as legitimate.  However, it remains the individual licensed psychologist’s responsibility to verify with their state psychology licensing board that a given CE program sponsored by SCP will be accepted for continuing education purposes.  SCP works with organizations and individuals connected to SCP and/or our psychological specialty of Counseling Psychology to offer CE activities.  The Committee, in consultation with SCP Leadership, maintains discretion around who may be authorized to offer psychology CEs sponsored by SCP.

How to Submit an Application to Offer Psychology CE’s sponsored by SCP for Attending Your Learning Activity

Counseling Psychologists who wish to offer a learning activity (e.g., presentation, workshop, program, webinar, audiovisual or text homestudy) sponsored by SCP for psychology CEs must submit an application to the SCP Continuing Education Committee.  If you wish to offer multiple CEs as a part of a larger multi-activity workshop or conference, please review the SCP CE Application and then email the SCP CE Committee Chair for consultation before starting to complete a SCP CE Application.

At this time, SCP only sponsors learning activities that are synchronous (presenter and audience interacting in real time).  We plan to sponsor asychronous learning activities (e.g., homestudy, recorded webinars) in the future.

Offering psychology CEs sponsored by SCP is a five step process:

  • STEP 1: At least 6 weeks prior to the date of the CE program, please submit an SCP CE Application.  Please review the Application now to see what information is required.  Email the SCP CE Committee Chair to request a consultation meeting where your outstanding questions can be answered.  A video tutorial overviewing the SCP CE Application will be posted here soon.
  • STEP 2: The CE Committee reviews your application. We like to have these returned to you within about two weeks. It is likely that you will be asked to make revisions to adhere to the APA CESA Standard and Criteria.
  • STEP 3: Make requested revisions and re-submit to the CE Committee Chair. Often, unless additional significant revisions are necessary, the Chair can determine that all requested changes have been made and provide approval within one week of your revision submission.
  • STEP 4: Offer the CE activity.  The CE Committee will have provided you with an Attendance Form hyperlink and an Evaluation Form hyperlink, which you can distribute to your attendees at the start and end of the CE activity, respectively.  The CE Committee will email qualifying attendees a personalized CE Certificate.
  • STEP 5: Within 2 weeks of offering the CE activity,  email the CE Committee Chair a single PDF containing a copy of all promotional materials (e.g., brochures, pamphlets, emails, web pages) used to advertise the CE activity.

SCP CE Committee

Joseph H. Hammer, PhD (Chair; 2020-2023)
Elizabeth Terrazas-Carrillo, PhD (2020-2022)
Ellen Vaughan, PhD (2019-2021)
Zachary Dschaak (2020-2022)