DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

(Board of Psychology)

(1) ((The Washington state board of psychology (hereafter referred to as the board) requires)) To renew a license, a licensed psychologist must complete a minimum of sixty hours of continuing education (((hereafter referred to as)) (CE) every three years((.)):

(((2))) (a) A minimum of four hours ((credit in ethics)) must be ((included in the sixty hours required)) in ethics. Areas to be covered, depending on the licensee's primary area(s) of function are practice, consultation, research, teaching, ((and/))or supervision.

(((3))) (2) Faculty providing CE offerings shall meet the training and the full qualifications of their respective professions. All faculty shall have demonstrated an expertise in the areas in which they are instructing.

(((4))) (3) The Washington state examining board ((reserves the right to)) of psychology may require any licensee to submit ((evidence, e.g., course or program certificate of training, transcript, course or workshop brochure description, evidence of attendance, etc., in addition to the affidavit form in order)) documentation to demonstrate compliance with the sixty hours of CE ((requirement)).

(1) All continuing education (CE) activities ((shall)) must be directly relevant to maintaining or increasing professional or scientific competence in psychology.

(2) Courses or workshops primarily designed to increase practice income or office efficiency, ((while valuable to the licensee,)) are specifically noneligible for CE credit.

(3) Program sponsors or institutes ((should)) will not ((apply for, nor expect to)) receive((,)) prior or current board approval for CE status or category.

((Recognized activities shall include)) (4) Courses, seminars, workshops, and postdoctoral institutes offered or sponsored by the following qualify for CE credit for a licensed psychologist:

(((1) Courses, seminars, workshops and post-doctoral institutes offered by)) (a) Educational institutions chartered by a state and recognized (accredited) by a regional association of schools, colleges and universities as providing graduate level course offerings. ((Such educational activities shall)) Documentation must be recorded on an official transcript or certificate of completion((.));

(((2) Courses (including correspondence courses), seminars, workshops and post-doctoral institutes sponsored by)) (b) The American Psychological Association((,));

(c) Regional or state psychological associations or their subchapters((,));

(d) Psychology internship training centers((,));

(e) Other professionally or scientifically recognized behavioral science organizations((,)); and

(f) The Washington state examining board of psychology.

(((3))) (5) A licensed psychologist may earn credit toward the CE requirement ((may be earned)) through teaching an approved CE program. The CE credit earned ((through teaching shall)) may not exceed thirty hours every three years. Credit for teaching an approved CE program may be earned on the following basis:

(a) One credit hour for each sixty minutes actually spent teaching the program for the first event. Credit may be conferred for teaching similar subject matter only if the psychologist has actually spent an equal or greater amount of preparation time updating the subject matter to be taught on a later occasion.

(b) One credit hour for each sixty minutes actually spent participating in a panel presentation.

(1) An approved training in suicide assessment, treatment, and management must:

(a) Be approved by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, American Psychological Association, American Medical Association, regional or state psychological associations or their subchapters, psychology internship training centers, or an equivalent organization, educational institution or association which approves training based on observation and experiment or best available practices.

(b) Cover training in suicide assessment, including screening and referral, suicide treatment, and suicide management.

(c) Be provided by a single provider and must be at least six hours in length, which may be provided in one or more sessions.

(2) A licensed psychologist who is a state or local government employee is exempt from the requirements of this section if he or she receives a total of at least six hours of training in suicide assessment, treatment, and management from his or her employer every six years. For purposes of this subsection, the training may be provided in one six-hour block or may be spread among shorter training sessions at the employer's discretion.

(3) A licensed psychologist who is an employee of a community mental health agency licensed under chapter 71.24 RCW or a chemical dependency program certified under chapter 70.96A RCW is exempt from the requirements of this section if he or she receives a total of at least six hours of training in suicide assessment, treatment, and management from his or her employer every six years. For purposes of this subsection, the training may be provided in one six-hour block or may be spread among shorter training sessions at the employer's discretion.

(4) A licensed psychologist who obtained training under subsection (2) or (3) of this section may obtain continuing education credit for that training subject to documentation as defined in WAC 246-924-300.