Part IV. Licensure Renewal; Reinstatement
18VAC115-20-100. Annual renewal of licensure.
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.
18VAC115-20-105. Continued competency requirements for renewal of a license.
A. Licensed professional counselors shall be required to have completed a minimum of 20 hours of continuing competency for each annual licensure renewal. A minimum of two of these hours shall be in courses that emphasize the ethics, standards of practice, or laws governing behavioral science professions in Virginia.
B. The board may grant an extension for good cause of up to one year for the completion of continuing competency requirements upon written request from the licensee prior to the renewal date. Such extension shall not relieve the licensee of the continuing competency requirement.
C. The board may grant an exemption for all or part of the continuing competency requirements due to circumstances beyond the control of the licensee such as temporary disability, mandatory military service, or officially declared disasters.
D. Those individuals dually licensed by this board will not be required to obtain continuing competency for each license. Dually licensed individuals will only be required to provide the hours set out in subsection A of this section, subsection A of 18VAC115-50-95 in the Regulations Governing the Practice of Marriage and Family Therapy, or subsection A of 18VAC115-60-115 in the Regulations Governing the Practice of Licensed Substance Abuse Treatment Practitioners.
E. Up to two hours of the 20 hours required for annual renewal may be satisfied through delivery of counseling services, without compensation, to low-income individuals receiving health services through a local health department or a free clinic organized in whole or primarily for the delivery of those services. One hour of continuing education may be credited for three hours of providing such volunteer services, as documented by the health department or free clinic.
F. A professional counselor who was licensed by examination is exempt from meeting continuing competency requirements for the first renewal following initial licensure.
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 33, Issue 11, eff. March 9, 2017; Volume 34, Issue 6, eff. December 28, 2017.
18VAC115-20-106. Continuing competency activity criteria.
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.
18VAC115-20-107. Documenting compliance with continuing competency requirements.
A. All licensees are required to maintain original documentation for a period of two years following renewal.
B. After the end of each renewal period, the board may conduct a random audit of licensees to verify compliance with the requirement for that renewal period.
C. Upon request, a licensee shall provide documentation as follows:
1. To document completion of formal organized learning activities, the licensee shall provide:
a. Official transcripts showing credit hours earned; or
b. Certificates of participation.
2. Documentation of home study shall be made by identification of the source material studied, summary of content, and a signed affidavit attesting to completion of the home study.
3. Documentation of individual professional activities shall be by one of the following:
a. Certificates of participation;
b. Proof of presentations made;
c. Reprints of publications;
d. Letters from educational institutions or agencies approving continuing education programs;
e. Official notification from the association that sponsored the item writing workshop or continuing education program; or
f. Documentation of attendance at formal staffing by a signed affidavit on a form provided by the board.
D. Continuing competency hours required by a disciplinary order shall not be used to satisfy renewal requirements.
Statutory Authority
§ 54.1-103, 54.1-2400, and 54.1-3505.1 of the Code of Virginia.
Historical Notes
Derived from Virginia Register Volume 20, Issue 24, eff. September 8, 2004.
18VAC115-20-110. Late renewal; reinstatement.
A. A person whose license has expired may renew it within one year after its expiration date by paying the late fee prescribed in 18VAC115-20-20 as well as the license renewal fee prescribed for the year the license was not renewed and providing evidence of having met all applicable continuing competency requirements.
B. A person who fails to renew a license after one year or more and wishes to resume practice shall apply for reinstatement, pay the reinstatement fee for a lapsed license, submit verification of any mental health license he holds or has held in another jurisdiction, if applicable, and provide evidence of having met all applicable continuing competency requirements not to exceed a maximum of 80 hours. The board may require the applicant for reinstatement to submit evidence regarding the continued ability to perform the functions within the scope of practice of the license.
C. A person wishing to reactivate an inactive license shall submit (i) the renewal fee for active licensure minus any fee already paid for inactive licensure renewal; (ii) documentation of continued competency hours equal to the number of years the license has been inactive not to exceed a maximum of 80 hours; and (iii) verification of any mental health license he holds or has held in another jurisdiction, if applicable. The board may require the applicant for reactivation to submit evidence regarding the continued ability to perform the functions within the scope of practice of the license.
Statutory Authority
§ 54.1-2400 of the Code of Virginia.
Historical Notes
Derived from VR560-01-02 § 4.2, 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 13, Issue 25, eff. August 7, 1997; Volume 16, Issue 13, eff. April 12, 2000; Volume 20, Issue 24, eff. September 8, 2004; Volume 30, Issue 19, eff. July 3, 2014.
18VAC115-20-120. (Repealed.)
Historical Notes
Derived from VR560-01-02 § 5.1, 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; repealed, Virginia Register Volume 24, Issue 24, eff. September 3, 2008.