There are many Marriage and Family Therapists that seek answers to questions regarding their continuing education every renewal period. Deciphering what is required can be a daunting task at times.

Each state has their own expectations for continuing education and may adjust them from time to time. Each licensee must keep themselves educated on their state's latest CE requirements. It is recommended for the licensed MFT to review their appropriate state board's website each renewal period to determine if there have been any changes that may affect them.

There are a number of online providers offering CEUs for MFT continuing education in each state. Not all providers are approved in all states. To keep from having one's CEUs rejected, it is necessary to verify if the provider is approved in their state. The approvals received and provider numbers issued should be displayed on the online provider's website.

The list below provides ideas of how to stay abreast of any updates to one's state board's CE rules and regulations:

--Find the various methods of contacting your state board (phone #, web address, mailing address, etc.).

--Find out if your state board sends out a newsletter. If so, ask to receive it. This is a great way to stay up-to-date from the source.

--Locate online CE providers that have links to all of the state boards' websites. These links should send you to the continuing education portion of the board's site. These online providers will also have the ability to link to the national boards' sites that have granted approval. The CEU provider should have a page dedicated to these links. Unfortunately, not all providers have this information. The ones that do are providing a valuable resource.

--Don't wait until the last minute. Get started on your CE long before you have to. This will provide enough cushion to conclude your CE according to the most recent regulations provided by your board. This will also provide the benefit of choosing courses that may challenge you beyond your current skill set, instead of just taking courses on material you already know thoroughly. Use the time given wisely. Give your professional career the attention it deserves.