7707 CONTINUING EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS

7707.1 This section shall apply to applicants for the renewal, reactivation, and reinstatement of a license.

7707.2 This section shall not apply to applicants for an initial license by reciprocity or endorsement.

7707.3 Continuing education credit shall be granted only for programs or activities approved by the Board in accordance with section 7708.

7707.4 An applicant for renewal, reactivation, or reinstatement of a license to practice marriage and family therapy, shall submit proof of having completed thirty (30) hours of approved continuing education during the two-year (2) period preceding the date the license expires or preceding the date of the application for reactivation or reinstatement. The thirty (30) hours of approved continuing education shall include:

(a) A minimum of fifteen (15) of the thirty (30) hours shall be completed in a live, face-to-face setting that provides for direct, real-time interaction between presenter(s) and participants;

(b) Six (6) hours of the thirty (30) hours shall be in ethics;

(c) The remaining twenty-four (24) hours of continuing education may consist of current and emerging issues in marriage and family therapy such as the study of:

(1) Non-traditional families;

(2) Domestic violence;

(3) HIV;

(4) Aging;

(5) End-of-life issues;

(6) Addiction and psychopharmacology; and

(7) Trauma.

7707.5 To qualify for a license, a person in inactive status within the meaning of Section 511 of the Act (D.C. Official Code § 3-1205.11 (2001 ed.)) who submits an

application to reactivate a license shall submit proof of having met the continuing education requirements for each licensing period that the license was in inactive status.

7707.6 To qualify for a license, an applicant for reinstatement of a license to practice marriage and family therapy pursuant to Section 512 of the Act (D.C. Official Code § 3-1205.12 (2001 ed.)) shall submit proof of having completed fifteen (15) hours of credit in an approved continuing education program for each year after March 31, 2006 that the applicant was not licensed, up to a maximum of seventy-five (75) hours.

7707.7 An applicant for license renewal, reactivation, or reinstatement under this section shall prove completion of required continuing education credits by submitting with the application the following information with respect to each program:

(a) The name and address of the sponsor of the program;

(b) The name of the program, its location, a description of the subject matter covered, and the names of the instructors;

(c) The dates on which the applicant attended the program;

(d) The hours of credit claimed; and

(e) Verification by the sponsor of completion, by signature or stamp.

7707.8 The Board shall accept for continuing education credit any credits or courses approved or accredited by the following organizations:

(a) The American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT);

(b) The National Association of Social Workers (NASW);

(c) The American Psychological Association (APA);

(d) The National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC);

(e) The American Counseling Association (ACA); or

(f) Other state Marriage and Family Therapy boards.

7707.9 The Board may require proof of a licensee's completion of continuing education at the completion of a renewal period. A licensee shall:

(a) Maintain the required proof of completion for each continuing Business, Occupations and Professions

competence activity as specified in these regulations; and

(b) Retain documentation of a continuing competence activity for a minimum of two (2) years following the last day of the license renewal period for which the continuing competence activity was completed.

7707.10 The Board may audit up to twenty percent (20%) of the number of licensees to determine compliance with the continuing education contact hour requirements.

7707.11 Upon notification by the Board that a licensee has been selected for an audit, the licensee shall submit the required documentation within thirty (30) days of receipt of the notice.

7707.12 Licensees who fail to provide proof of continuing education compliance during an audit may be subject to an audit in the subsequent renewal cycle.

SOURCE: Final Rulemaking published at 53 DCR 7845 (September 29, 2006); as amended by Final Rulemaking published at 54 DCR 8247 (August 24, 2007); as amended by Final Rulemaking published at 58 DCR 9260 (October 28, 2011); as amended by Final Rulemaking published at 61 DCR 1288 (February 14, 2014).