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CONTINUING EDUCATION ON APPROPRIATE BOUNDARIES

Continuing Education on Appropriate Boundaries

A licensed psychologist, social worker or mental health practitioner required to complete continuing education must complete 3 hours of acceptable course work in appropriate professional boundaries, in each 3-year registration period starting April 1, 2023. 

The Board of Regents approved regulations on October 4, 2022 that requires psychologists, social workers and mental health practitioners licensed and registered under Articles 153, 154 or 163 of the Education Law, to complete 3 hours of acceptable continuing education on issues related to maintaining appropriate professional boundaries between licensees and patients. The course work must be taken from a provider approved by the Department and counts toward the 36 hours of continuing education required in each 36-month registration period. 

The regulations apply to each psychologist, licensed master social worker, licensed clinical social worker, mental health counselor, marriage and family therapist, creative arts therapist and psychoanalyst licensed and registered for registration periods starting on or after April 1, 2023. Licensees with a registration period commencing prior to April 1, 2023 do not have to complete coursework in appropriate boundaries until their next registration period. A licensee does not need to submit continuing education certificates to the State Board, unless audited by the Board or applying for a delayed registration. 

Education Law §7607(2) requires each psychologist to complete 36 hours of acceptable learning activities, a minimum of three hours of which shall be in course work in the area of professional ethics, including the laws, rules and regulations for practice in New York. Coursework on appropriate boundaries that references New York laws, rules and regulations related to unprofessional conduct may be counted toward the ethics requirement in statute. Conversely, coursework in ethics that address appropriate boundaries would meet that provision.

Additional information is available: