A. Every licensed professional counselor who intends to continue an active practice shall submit to the board on or before June 30 of each year:
1. A completed form for renewal of the license on which the licensee attests to compliance with the continuing competency requirements prescribed in this chapter; and
2. The renewal fee prescribed in 18VAC115-20-20.
B. A licensed professional counselor who wishes to place his license in an inactive status may do so upon payment of the inactive renewal fee as established in 18VAC115-20-20. No person shall practice counseling in Virginia unless he holds a current active license. A licensee who has placed himself in inactive status may become active by fulfilling the reactivation requirements set forth in subsection C of 18VAC115-20-110.
C. For renewal of a resident license in counseling, the following shall apply:
1. A resident license shall expire annually in the month the resident license was initially issued and may be renewed up to five times by submission of the renewal form and payment of the fee prescribed in 18VAC115-20-20.
2. On the annual renewal, the resident shall attest that a supervisory contract is in effect with a board-approved supervisor for each of the locations at which the resident is currently providing clinical counseling services.
3. On the annual renewal, the resident in counseling shall attest to completion of three hours in continuing education courses that emphasize the ethics, standards of practice, or laws governing behavioral science professions in Virginia, offered by an approved provider as set forth in subsection B of 18VAC115-20-106.
D. Licensees shall notify the board of a change in the address of record or the public address, if different from the address of record within 60 days. Failure to receive a renewal notice from the board shall not relieve the license holder from the renewal requirement.
E. Practice with an expired license is prohibited and may constitute grounds for disciplinary action.
Statutory Authority
§§ 54.1-2400 and 54.1-3505 of the Code of Virginia.
Historical Notes
Derived from VR560-01-02 § 4.1, eff. July 6, 1988; amended, Virginia Register Volume 5, Issue 24, eff. September 27, 1989; Volume 7, Issue 14, eff. May 8, 1991; Volume 9, Issue 25, eff. October 6, 1993; Volume 13, Issue 7, eff. January 22, 1997; Volume 16, Issue 13, eff. April 12, 2000; Volume 20, Issue 24, eff. September 8, 2004; Volume 25, Issue 22, eff. August 5, 2009; Volume 26, Issue 1, eff. October 14, 2009; Volume 30, Issue 19, eff. July 3, 2014; Volume 37, Issue 20, eff. June 23, 2021; Errata, 37:22 3448 VA.R. June 21, 2021.
A. Continuing competency activities must focus on increasing knowledge or skills in one or more of the following areas:
1. Ethics, standards of practice, or laws governing behavioral science professions;
2. Counseling theory;
3. Human growth and development;
4. Social and cultural foundations;
5. The helping relationship;
6. Group dynamics, processing, and counseling;
7. Lifestyle and career development;
8. Appraisal of individuals;
9. Research and evaluation;
10. Professional orientation;
11. Clinical supervision;
12. Marriage and family therapy; or
13. Addictions.
B. Approved hours of continuing competency activity shall be one of the following types:
1. Formally organized learning activities or home study. Activities may be counted at their full hour value. Hours shall be obtained from one or a combination of the following board-approved, mental health-related activities:
a. Regionally accredited university or college level academic courses in a behavioral health discipline.
b. Continuing education programs offered by universities or colleges.
c. Workshops, seminars, conferences, or courses in the behavioral health field offered by federal, state, or local governmental agencies or licensed health facilities and licensed hospitals.
d. Workshops, seminars, conferences, or courses in the behavioral health field offered by an individual or organization that has been certified or approved by one of the following:
(1) The International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors and its state affiliates.
(2) The American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and its state affiliates.
(3) The American Association of State Counseling Boards.
(4) The American Counseling Association and its state and local affiliates.
(5) The American Psychological Association and its state affiliates.
(6) The Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification.
(7) NAADAC, The Association for Addiction Professionals and its state and local affiliates.
(8) National Association of Social Workers.
(9) National Board for Certified Counselors.
(10) A national behavioral health organization or certification body.
(11) Individuals or organizations that have been approved as continuing competency sponsors by the American Association of State Counseling Boards or a counseling board in another state.
(12) The American Association of Pastoral Counselors.
2. Individual professional activities.
a. Publication/presentation/new program development.
(1) Publication of articles. Activity will count for a maximum of eight hours. Publication activities are limited to articles in refereed journals or a chapter in an edited book.
(2) Publication of books. Activity will count for a maximum of 18 hours.
(3) Presentations. Activity will count for a maximum of eight hours. The same presentations may be used only once in a two-year period. Only actual presentation time may be counted.
(4) New program development. Activity will count for a maximum of eight hours. New program development includes a new course, seminar, or workshop. New courses shall be graduate or undergraduate level college or university courses.
b. Dissertation. Activity will count for a maximum of 18 hours. Dissertation credit may only be counted once.
c. Clinical supervision/consultation. Activity will count for a maximum of 10 hours. Continuing competency can only be granted for clinical supervision/consultation received on a regular basis with a set agenda. Continuing competency cannot be granted for supervision provided to others.
d. Leadership. Activity will count for a maximum of eight hours. The following leadership positions are acceptable for continuing competency credit: officer of state or national counseling organization; editor and/or reviewer of professional counseling journals; member of state counseling licensure/certification board; member of a national counselor certification board; member of a national ethics disciplinary review committee rendering licenses; active member of a counseling committee producing a substantial written product; chair of a major counseling conference or convention; or other leadership positions with justifiable professional learning experiences. The leadership positions must take place for a minimum of one year after the date of first licensure.
e. Practice related programs. Activity will count up to a maximum of eight hours. The board may allow up to eight contact hours of continuing competency as long as the regulant submits proof of attendance plus a written justification of how the activity assists him in his direct service of his clients. Examples include language courses, software training, and medical topics, etc.
Statutory Authority
§ 54.1-2400 of the Code of Virginia.
Historical Notes
Derived from Virginia Register Volume 20, Issue 24, eff. September 8, 2004; amended, Virginia Register Volume 22, Issue 12, eff. March 22, 2006; Volume 26, Issue 2, eff. November 12, 2009; Volume 30, Issue 19, eff. July 3, 2014.
Virginia Board of Counseling
Email: Coun@dhp.virginia.gov
Jaime Hoyle, Executive Director
Terry R. Tinsley, PhD, LPC, LMFT, CSOTP, Chairperson