Resources for Professionals

 

Professional Development Requirements for LMFTs in CO

The Continuing Professional Development (CPD) program for Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists went into effect for licensure renewal in August 2011. The CPD program originated in House Bill 09-1086 which requires the participation of several mental health professions. The program is in an implementation phase meaning there are reduced requirements for renewal in 2011. All CPD program rules, resources, and updates may be accessed on the CPD website at http://cdn.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite/DORA-Reg/CBON/DORA/1251632507719 House Bill 09-1086 was passed during the 2009 legislative session to ensure all licensees remain current with the ever-changing field of Marriage and Family Therapy. The bill requires licensees to participate in CPD in order to renew, reinstate or reactivate a license after January 1, 2011. The CPD program is being implemented in stages.  

Prior to the renewal of a license, MFT’s need to complete four steps:

1) Download the CPD Portfolio. This is the step-by-step guide to the entire program. The Portfolio and other resources can be downloaded at www.dora.state.co.us/mental-health/cc. 2) Create a personal user account on the CPD Portal. Access the Portal from the CPD website listed above. 3) From the user account, participate in the Professional Practice Survey. The Survey is a reflective tool to help licensees identify the areas and roles in the MFT field that interest them. 4) Draft a Learning Plan. The Learning Plan is also accessed through the licensee’s user account on the Portal. The draft Learning Plan should contain 40 hours of Professional Development Activities the licensee plans to accrue prior to license renewal every two years. A Learning Plan may change! Updates should be made to the Learning Plan as needed. Licensees may make changes up to the day they renew their license every two years. At that point, the Learning Plan should be an accurate log of the activities the licensee undertook for the CPD program. The CPD program is not limited to traditional continuing education. MFTs may participate in Professional Development Activities (PDAs) such as:

• Volunteer Service
• Mentoring
• Presenting
• Supervising
• Publishing
• Coursework (including Continuing Education)
• Independent Learning
• Group Learning

The Learning Plan requires licensees to identify at least two of the learning strategies above to implement over the renewal cycle. It does not require licensees to specify the exact content, course name, speaker, or subject of the learning and professional development. The CPD Portfolio contains guidelines for documenting each activity. In the case that a licensee is selected for a random audit, the Board will request the licensee submit their documentation at that time. It is not necessary to submit documentation of PDAs in order to renew. There are no approved providers and no required coursework in the CPD program. PDAs should enhance, improve or maintain one’s competence as an LMFT. Licensees should be able to show or describe how the activity either provided new knowledge or skills, or how they were able to sharpen or hone existing skills by synthesizing new knowledge. After successfully renewing their license every two years, licensees need to implement their Learning Plan. Changes to a Learning Plan may be completed simply by logging into the licensee’s personal user account. The Learning Plan should be completed and fully updated by the time the licensee applies to renew their license.  

Checklist for PDP and Learning Plan Implementation:

• Download and read the LMFT Professional Development Portfolio
• Create my User Account through the CPD Portal
• Complete the Professional Practice Survey (from my user account)
• Draft my Learning Plan (from my user account)
• Renew my License

Time commitment: The Professional Practice Survey requires the average licensee between 15 – 20 minutes to complete. Drafting a Learning Plan requires on average 20 – 30 minutes to complete. Your time commitment may be more or less than the average depending on your personal work style.  

Checklist for License Renewal:

• Implement my Learning Plan
• Make Changes to my Learning Plan (if necessary)
• Accrue 40 Professional Development Hours
• Document my Professional Development Hours (according to guidelines)
• Renew my License

Healthcare Professions Profiling Program (HPPP)

The Healthcare Professions Profiling Program was established due to the requirements outlined by Senate Bill 10-124, the Michael Skolnik Medical Transparency Act of 2010. The Transparency Act requires all Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists to complete and submit online profiles at each renewal. All included practitioners will be required to complete their profiles before they will be eligible to complete their renewals. The average profile takes approximately 5-10 minutes to complete, depending on the individual’s information. The information listed on the profile is viewable by the public. This is not a complete list, but some of the information you will be required to provide in your profile includes:

• Location of Practice
• Education and Training
• Licenses, Registrations or Certifications in Other States or Jurisdictions
• Board Certifications and Specialties
• Healthcare-Related Business Ownership Interests
• Employer Information
• Healthcare-Related Employment Contracts with an Annual Aggregate Value Greater than $5,000
• Public Disciplinary Actions from Colorado or Any Other State
• Agreements or Orders to Cease or Restrict Practice, or Orders Suspending a License
• Information Regarding Malpractice Settlements
• Refusal by an Insurer of Liability Insurance to Issue a Policy to an Individual

Profiles must be updated as information changes. All of the items listed in the profile must be updated within 30 days of any change, with the exception of information pertaining to employers, business ownership interests and healthcare-related employment contracts which must be updated within one year. The Director of the Division of Registrations has authority over the Healthcare Professions Profiling Program. With that authority, the Director may impose an administrative fine against anyone who fails to comply with the requirement. While the fine is not considered a disciplinary action, the Director is required to report any administrative fines to the applicable state board that licenses the profession. The board may then choose to open a case and seek further discipline against the individual. If you have any questions specific to the Healthcare Professions Profiling Program, please contact DORA directly at (303) 894-5942 or via email at hppp@dora.state.co.us. The statute, rules and policies can be found on their website at www.dora.state.co.us/hppp Access AAMFT resources here.

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