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REQUIREMENTS FOR CONTINUING EDUCATION OFFERINGS FOR
American Psychological Association (APA) continuing cducation (CE) credits
As you work on the content and format planning for your presentation, if you wish to
offer APA credits, the following must be followed.
As an Approved Sponsor for Continuing Education, we commit to upholding certain
criteria and standards in our programming.
I have included below principles and guidelines that will help you determine if your
offering is suitable and will help you prepare.
(1) PRINCIPLE
APA recognizes the responsibility of psychologists to continue their educational and
professional development, building upon the foundations of a completed doctoral
program in psychology. The Standards and Criteria for Approval of Sponsors of
Continuing Education (CE) for Psychologists are focused on CE regarding the science
and profession of psychology that has been empirically established and supported.
Emerging technologies and techniques are extremely important to the field of
psychology, and scientific inquiry into them is encouraged. However, providing formal
CE credit for programming that does not yet meet these standards is premature.
Continuing education (CE) in psychology is an ongoing process consisting of formal
learning activities that (1) are relevant to psychological practice, education and science;
(2) enable psychologists to keep pace with the most current scientific evidence regarding
assessment, intervention, and education as well as important legal, statutory, or
regulatory issues ; and (3) allow psychologists to maintain, develop, and increase
competencies in order to improve services to the public and enhance contributions to the
profession.
(2) GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Each offering must have a statement of objectives/goals for psychologists that encompass
the above principle. Goal statements should reflect the nature of the offering and the
target audience. As a guideline, for each hour of instruction there should be a minimum
of one objective. Typically, there will be more than one stated objective even in a short
presentation.
Every program offered for CE credit must have predetermined learning objectives.
Rather than a description of topics to be covered, learning objectives should clearly
define what the participant will know or be able to do as a result of having attended
the program, and these objectives must be stated in measurable terms.
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(3) CURRICULUM CONTENT
Standard D
The content of continuing education is the crucial component intended to maintain,
develop, and increase conceptual and applied competencies that are relevant to
psychological practice, education, and science.
All CE programs offered for CE credit for psychologists must comply with Standard D
criteria. CE programs must be grounded in an evidence-based approach. CE programs
that are focused on application of psychological assessment and/or intervention methods
must include content that is credibly supported by the most current scientific evidence.
CE programs may also provide information related to ethical, legal, statutory or
regulatory policies, guidelines, and standards that impact psychology.
CRITERIA
1. Sponsors must document that the content of each CE program meets ONE of the
following:
1.1 Program content focuses on application of psychological assessment and/or
intervention methods that have overall consistent and credible empirical support in the
contemporary peer reviewed scientific literature beyond those publications and other
types of communications devoted primarily to the promotion of the approach;
1.2 Program content focuses on ethical, legal, statutory or regulatory policies, guidelines,
and standards that impact psychological practice, education, or research;
1.3 Program content focuses on topics related to psychological practice, education, or
research other than application of psychological assessment and/or intervention methods
that are supported by contemporary scholarship grounded in established research
procedures.
At least three (3) current, relevant, supporting, and complete references (in APA format)
must be provided as evidence that program content has met the requirements of a specific
D.1. criterion. Here is a great resource to look at APA format:
http://www.bibme.org/citation-guide/apa/
Here is the format and a sample citation.
Author, A.A.. (Year of Publication). Title of work. Publisher City , State: Publisher.
APA format example: Finney, J. (1970). Time and again. New York, NY: Simon and
Schuster.
2. Sponsors (TIFI) are required to ensure that instructors, during each CE presentation,
include statements that describe the accuracy and utility of the materials presented, the
empirical basis of such statements, the limitations of the content being taught, and the
severe and the most common risks.
3. Sponsors must offer program content that builds upon the foundation of a completed
doctoral program in psychology.
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4. Sponsors must be prepared to demonstrate that content is relevant to psychological
practice, education, and/or science.
5. Sponsors must have a process to identify any potential conflict of interest and/or
commercial support for any program offered, and they must clearly describe any
commercial support for the CE program, presentation, or instructor to program
participants at the time the CE program begins. Any other relationship that could be
reasonably construed as a conflict of interest also must be disclosed. Individual presenters
must disclose and explain the presence or absence of commercial support or conflict of
interest at the time the CE program begins.
Sample Evaluation form here, containing Objectives, Evaluation questions,
Citations (link to Larry Letich Evaluation Form)
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Writing Behavioral Learning Objectives and Assessments
Learning objectives, or learning outcomes, are statements that clearly describe what
the learner will know or be able to do as a result of having attended an educational
program or activity.
Learning objectives must be observable and measurable.
Learning objectives should (1) focus on the learner, and (2) contain action verbs that
describe measurable behaviors.
Verbs to consider when writing learning objectives:
list, describe, recite, write
compute, discuss, explain, predict
apply, demonstrate, prepare, use
analyze, design, select, utilize
compile, create, plan, revise
assess, compare, rate, critique
Verbs to avoid when writing learning objectives
know, understand
learn, appreciate
become aware of, become familiar with
Example of well-written learning objectives:
This workshop is designed to help you:
1. Summarize basic hypnosis theory and technique;
2. Observe demonstrations of hypnotic technique and phenomena;
3. Recognize differences between acute and chronic pain;
4. Utilize hypnosis in controlling acute pain;
5. Apply post-hypnotic suggestions to chronic pain; and
6. Practice hypnotic technique in dyads.
EVALUATIONS – What you must include.
Objective learning assessments should be written in a manner that determines whether
participants learned what you planned to teach them. The evaluation (or learning
assessment) should be based on the stated learning objectives of the program.
Example of well-written learning assessment:
Based on the content of the workshop, I am able to:
Strongly Disagree ----Strongly Agree
1. Describe at least two theoretical approaches to hypnosis 1 2 3 4 5
2. Employ at least two hypnotic induction techniques 1 2 3 4 5
3. Explain how psychological approaches differ when applied to acute vs. chronic pain
1 2 3 4 5
4. Demonstrate a technique for applying hypnosis to acute pain 1 2 3 4 5
5. Provide a post-hypnotic suggestion for controlling chronic pain 1 2 3 4 5
6. State that I had the opportunity to practice the technique during the workshop. 1 2 3 4 5
Additionally, please note that your Evaluation must include the question:
How much did you learn as a result of this CE program? Very little….Very much
1 2 3 4 5
Please remember to include “Optional” under the request for Name.
Please don’t hesitate to contact Elizabeth Cantor [email protected] with questions.
