CEUs for MFTs - Defining "U" In CEUs

Defining the term "CEU" is not as straightforward as one might think. It may be defined one way with some states, and another in other states. Know your state board's definition of a CEU before you look for a continuing education provider. A second phrase that is used is "contact/clock hour". Contact/clock hour is usually how most states explain the continuing education requirements for their licensed professionals. This article will look at both terms a little closer.

The first definition to be discussed is "unit". "Unit" is what the U stands for in the term CEU. It is most widely accepted that one CEU equals 10 hours of instruction. This acceptance is sporadic within the mental health field. Some states say one CEU equals 10 hours of instruction, while other states will say one CEU is equal to one hour of instruction. Because of this difference, the term "unit" or "CEU" is not being used as much, especially in the state board's rules and regulations on continuing education. This is why the term "contact hour" (or "clock hour", which is interchangeably used) is now the term of choice.

The definition of a "contact/clock hour" is one hour of non-stop learning or instruction. This is usually accepted as 50 minutes as opposed to the full 60 minutes in each hour. This was due to those attaining their "contact hours" at a live workshop with several classes back to back and thus needing a 10 minute break between sessions. At a live conference or workshop this can be easily calculated. What is the definition of a contact/clock hour for online courses or home study courses?
Not everyone reads at the same pace. This makes it challenging to assign the meaning of a contact hour for reading material. What is the best way to define Contact Hour for this venue? The NBCC has a solution, define "contact/clock hour" as a certain word count for each document of a home study course. Here is an excerpt from the NBCC website explaining this:
"2. Home Study Programs.

Home study-approved clock hours must be calculated in accordance with the following requirements.
The number of hours of credit awarded must be based on an accurate word count for text-based materials, and on an accurate word count plus listening/viewing time for mixed text and audio/visual materials. A reading speed of 66 words per minute is used to calculate the number of clock hours
that may be awarded for text-based home study programs. One hour of continuing education credit
may be awarded for a minimum of 4,000 words of text."
http://www.nbcc.org/Assets/CEProvider/approvedproviderpolicies.pdf (page 10)

In conclusion, it is important to know what definition your state board relies upon for CEU and use that as your definition. Otherwise, you will end up with less credit then you originally thought and find yourself scrambling to make up the credit. Since most state boards use the term "contact hour" or "clock hour", make sure the online provider you choose uses these same terms on their certificates of completion.[/body]

Aspira CEUs is an online CEU provider that adheres to the NBCC definition of contact hour. Aspira Continuing Education provides courses for MFT continuing education, as well as Counselor CEUs and Social Worker CEUs. You can visit Aspira at http://www.aspirace.com