Continuing Education Requirements
Thirty clock hours of continuing education is required for renewal of your license every two years from the date of licensure, (workshops, seminars, college course work, published articles or published books). Home study courses are acceptable if taken through an accredited college or university, distances learning ie: teleconferences, mail order workshops, home study workshops may also be used but are limited to 15 hours per renewal cycle. Credit is given for instructing, if it is not a part of your regular employment. Please note, only ten hours of instruction time per renewal period may be used. Published articles and books may also be used as continuing education. The number of hours granted is based on the publication, single authored books can be granted up to thirty clock hours, multiple authors will be granted equal numbers of clock hours. Articles in referred journals may be granted up to 10 clock hours.

All licensees and Registrants are required to complete 3 hours of ethics training per renewal cycle.

Counselors holding the supervising counselor designation must complete 6 hours of supervisory training per renewal cycle.

LISW's holding the supervising designation must complete 3 hours of supervisory training per renewal cycle.

A clock hour is the actual amount of time in a learning situation.
One quarter credit hour equals ten clock hours.
One semester hour equals fifteen clock hours.
Published book, one author equals thirty clock hours.
Published journal articles equal ten clock hours.

There are special renewal requirements for the first renewal of a LSW license issued based on a degree in a field other than Social Work. Five semester hours or eight quarter hours taken in an Social Work Department or Program from an accredited college or university in social work methods and social work theory are required. Any combination of these courses is acceptable to meet the required number of hours. Social work seminar is defined as a course that deals with methods or practice in social work based on scientific research and its findings. It may include intervention/modality of current practices.

A Social work theory course is defined as a course involving the study of the principles which demonstrate various types of socio-psychological theories. Courses such as human development, social environment, community organization, small group behavior, and the family will meet this requirement. Courses may be graduate or undergraduate, undergraduate courses must be junior level or above. Courses must be taken during the first renewal period. Courses taken in other departments graduate or undergraduate will not meet this requirement. CEUs are not required for the first renewal and will not be accepted for the first renewal.

After the first renewal of a related degree license thirty clock hours are required for renewal. 

Post program approval forms may be used for programs taken in-state by MFTs/IMFTs only due to a shortage of approved CEUs for these licensees.

Post program approval forms may be used for renewals, for programs taken outside the State of Ohio, also for graduate level course work in related fields and for publications. This form is to be submitted within ninety (90) days of attending a program. You must complete the required post approval form and submit documentation showing completion of the program and information on the program. For publications attach a copy of the article and the publication page showing the date of publication. It will take approximately 30 days to receive a response on a post program approval. Do not submit post approval forms for programs that were pre-approved by the board. Do not submit post approval forms for Social work college courses if you are a Social Worker or for Counseling courses if you are a Counselor, or for Marriage and Family Therapy course work if you are an MFT. Course work taken in your licensure type is automatically accepted for each discipline.

Do not submit post approval forms for programs that were pre-approved. Do not submit post approval forms for Social work courses if you are a Social Worker or for Counseling courses if you are a Counselor, course work in these departments are automatically accepted for each discipline.

All CEUs taken within the State of Ohio must be Pre-Approved by the CSWMFT Board. Programs approved by the CSWMFT Board will list their approval number. Approval numbers from this Board begin with the letter R or the letter M and will also contain a letter that represents your licensure.

S pre-approval for Social Workers
C pre-approval for Counselors
T pre-approval for Marriage and Family Therapists

Out of state programs, online or home study courses that have not been pre-approved, can be submitted for post approval. After taking the program you can receive approval by completing a post program approval form.

www.cswmft.ohio.gov
Click on Renewal Information
Click on Requesting Forms
Click on Post program approval forms

Of your 30 CEU hours 15 hours can be done through DISTANCE LEARNING (i.e. home study, teleconference, and internet based programs). There are many distance learning programs that are approved by this Board, however if they are not approved you can fill out a post program approval form.

Here are some universities offering independent study or correspondence courses in Social Work.
 

University Of Iowa
Guided Correspondence Courses
1 800-272-6430

Brigham Young University
Independent Study
1 800-914-8931
http://coned.byu.edu/is/indstudy.htm

University of Wisconsin
Extension Courses
1 800-442-6460

You can get credit for teaching a course, workshop, or seminar for continuing education, if teaching is not a part of your regular employment. You must apply for approval on a post program approval form. You may only use the course once even if you teach it several times. A limit has been set by the Board of ten hours per renewal period for teaching.