License Renewal and Continuing Education Information for South Carolina Psychologists

Nov. 2, 2011 - PRLog -- Psychologists in South Carolina have an upcoming license renewal deadline of November 30, 2011. Each licensee is required to obtain a minimum of 24 hours of CE during this biennial renewal period. A minimum of 12 CE credits must be accumulated from Category A offerings (formal educational activities) and a maximum of 12 CE credits can be accumulated from Category B offerings (more informal educational activities). A licensee may earn all of his/her CE credits from Category A experiences. You will not be required to list CE activities during this renewal; however, the Board will conduct a random, mandatory annual audit of CE at which time licensees must provide completed CE documentation and certificates to the Board.

Any course offered by an APA-approved provider is considered formal and counts towards Category A credit.

Professional Development Resources is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Professional Development Resources maintains responsibility for all programs and content. South Carolina-licensed psychologists can earn all 24 hours for renewal through online and home study courses. Over 100 course topics are available at: http://www.pdresources.org/Index.aspx

South Carolina Board of Examiners in Psychology: http://www.llr.state.sc.us/POL/Psychology/INDEX.ASP

Continuing Education for South Carolina Psychologists

Each licensed psychologist shall earn a minimum of 24 approved continuing education credits during each 2 year licensure period.

I. Types of credit

A minimum of 12 continuing education credits must be accumulated from Category A offerings and a maximum of 12 continuing education credits can be accumulated from Category B offerings. Psychologists can elect to earn all of their continuing education credits from Category A offerings.

Category A experiences generally include formal activities wherein direct contact hours can be exchanged for continuing education credits on a one to one basis. Each offering under Category A should have a mechanism by which to measure the exchange of information, and, with respect to item (e) below, these offerings must be relevant to psychologist's specialty area(s) of licensure. It is the responsibility of the licensed psychologist to confirm completion of each educational experience completed under item (e) below. Category A generally includes, but is not limited to:

a)   Successful completion of a 3 hour graduate course in psychology at a regionally accredited institution of higher learning content of the course must be relevant to specialty area(s) in which the psychologist is licensed
b)   Offerings by regionally accredited institutions of higher learning
c)   Offerings by the American Psychological Association approved internship training programs
d)   Offerings by the American Psychological Association, by American Psychological Association approved sponsors, and/or by state or regional psychological associations
e)   Teaching a graduate course designed for the education of psychologists the first time it is taught
f)   Offerings by sponsors approved by other national professional organizations that are relevant to specialty area of licensure
g)   Publishing a scholarly work of a psychological nature in a refereed publication

For offerings (a) and (g) under Category A, a maximum of 24 continuing education credits can be earned per biennial renewal period.

Category B usually involves more informal offerings than Category A and includes, but is not limited to:

a)   Peer review or supervision by another licensed psychologist or another mental health professional
b)   Consultation with another licensed psychologist or another mental health professional
c)   Publishing a scholarly work of a psychological nature in a nonreferred publication
d)   Attendance or presentation at professional, educational, or scientific meetings, seminars, workshops, etc. of local, state, regional, or national professional organizations or agencies
e)   Reading of professional journals and listening to/viewing self study tapes and courses of a psychological nature

II. No carry over of continuing education credits

Under no circumstances will a licensed psychologist who earns more than the minimum number of continuing education credits in the biennial renewal period be permitted to carry over the excess credits to the following licensure period.

III. Reporting of Credits

Each licensed psychologist shall report, on a form provided by the Board, affirmation of completion of a minimum of 24 approved continuing education credits (mandatory minimum 12 hours in Category A and 12 hours may be in Category B) in a 24 month licensure period at the time of biennial licensure renewal.

IV.  Monitoring of credits

The Board will request biennally written documentation of completion of a minimum of twelve (12) approved continuing education credits from Category A during the previous biennial  licensure period (24 months) from a randomly selected sample of licensed psychologists.

2011 Biennial Renewal Form: http://www.llr.state.sc.us/POL/Psychology/Forms/2011PsyRe...

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Professional Development Resources, Inc. is a nonprofit educational corporation organized in 1992. Our mission is to provide healthcare professionals with accredited continuing education courses on topics that are vital to contemporary clinical practice.