| (a) Minimum Professional Development Hours Required:
(1) A licensee must complete 40 hours of professional
development during each renewal period that they hold a license. The
40 hours of professional development must include 6 hours in ethics
and 6 hours in cultural diversity or competency.
(2) A licensee may carry forward to the next renewal
period, a maximum of 10 hours accrued during the current renewal period
if those hours are not needed for renewal.
(b) Acceptable ethics hours include, but are not limited
to professional development on:
(1) state or federal laws, including agency rules,
relevant to the practice of psychology;
(2) practice guidelines established by local, regional,
state, national, or international professional organizations;
(3) training or education designed to demonstrate or
affirm the ideals and responsibilities of the profession; and
(4) training or education intended to assist licensees
in determining appropriate decision-making and behavior, improve consistency
in or enhance the professional delivery of services, and provide a
minimum acceptable level of practice.
(c) Acceptable cultural diversity or competency hours
include, but are not limited to professional development regarding
age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, language, national
origin, race, religion, culture, sexual orientation, and socio-economic
status.
(d) Acceptable Professional Development Activities:
(1) All professional development hours must have been
received during the renewal period unless allowed under subsection
(a)(2) of this section, and be directly related to the practice of
psychology;
(2) The Council shall make the determination as to
whether the activity claimed by the licensee is directly related to
the practice of psychology;
(3) Except for hours claimed under subsection (g),
all professional development hours obtained must be designated by
the provider in a letter, email, certificate, or transcript that displays
the licensee's name, topic covered, date(s) of training, and hours
of credit earned; and
(4) Multiple instances or occurrences of a professional
development activity may not be claimed for the same renewal period.
(e) Licensees must obtain at least fifty percent of
their professional development hours from one or more of the following
providers:
(1) an international, national, regional, state, or
local association of medical, mental, or behavioral health professionals;
(2) public school districts, charter schools, or education
service centers;
(3) city, county, state, or federal governmental entities;
(4) an institution of higher education accredited by
a regional accrediting organization recognized by the Council for
Higher Education Accreditation, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating
Board, or the United States Department of Education;
(5) religious or charitable organizations devoted to
improving the mental or behavioral health of individuals;
(6) a hospital or hospital system, including any clinic,
division, or department within a hospital or hospital system; or
(7) any provider approved or endorsed by a provider
listed herein.
(f) Licensees shall receive credit for professional
development activities according to the number of hours designated
by the provider, or if no such designation, on a one-for-one basis
with one credit hour for each hour spent in the professional development
activity.
(g) Notwithstanding subsection (e) above, licensees
may claim professional development credit for each of the following
activities:
(1) Passage of the jurisprudence examination. Licensees
who pass the jurisprudence examination may claim 1 hour of professional
development in ethics.
(2) Preparing and giving a presentation at a professional
development activity. The maximum number of hours that may be claimed
for this activity is 5 hours.
(3) Authoring a book or peer reviewed article. The
maximum number of hours that may be claimed for this activity is 5
hours.
(4) Teaching or attending a graduate level course.
The maximum number of hours that may be claimed for this activity
is 5 hours.
(5) Self-study. The maximum number of hours that may
be claimed for this activity is 1 hour.
(6) Successful completion of a training course on human
trafficking prevention described by §116.002 of the Occupations
Code. Licensees who complete this training may claim 1 hour of professional
development credit.
(7) Providing supervision to supervisees delivering
psychological services to individuals residing in a rural mental health
discipline Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) identified by
the U.S. Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA). The
maximum number of hours that may be claimed for this activity is 20
and hours claimed may not be counted toward the ethics or cultural
diversity or competency requirements.
(h) The Council does not pre-evaluate or pre-approve
professional development providers or hours.
(i) Licensees shall maintain proof of professional
development compliance for a minimum of 3 years after the applicable
renewal period.
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