How to Choose Continuing Education Courses for Therapists
Well it seems that most mental health professionals resent CE requirements and I don’t blame them. It can often feel like one more hoop to jump through to maintain licensure as a therapist.
In any helping profession, your initial training is just the beginning. While grad programs give us initial training, things are changing rapidly in the field. Look at the impact the pandemic had on all of us. We needed extra trainings and support to navigate that crazy time. Now that is in the rearview, but we still need to keep our education up to date and relevant.
Yet many professionals view CE requirements with skepticism—even resentment. This raises an important question: how can we support therapists so they are getting vital skills that grad school missed and leave them feeling empowered and inspired to work with clients?
Core Problems with Current CEU System
1. Too Many Providers, Too Little Quality Control
The barrier to becoming a CE provider is surprisingly low. In Texas, anyone can offer CE courses for just $50 and a promise to follow state guidelines. While not all states are this lax , it creates a problem. There are too many low quality CEU’s out there and sifting through all of them can be overwhelming!
The upside: Competitive pricing and specialized course options across niche areas.
The downside: With thousands of providers, finding high-quality courses becomes overwhelming. The abundance of choice creates decision paralysis rather than better outcomes.
2. Limited Information for Course Selection
When searching for skill-based CE courses, course descriptions and learning objectives provide minimal insight into actual content quality. It can be hard to tell if the course is going to deliver or put you to sleep.
The reality: You often can't determine if a course meets your needs until after purchasing and completing it. If the course disappoints, you're unlikely to immediately seek another in the same subject area.
Choosing CE providers resembles selecting graduate programs: numerous options, universal claims of excellence, and few objective comparison tools. Most practitioners default to comparing price rather than educational value. It can feel like a shot in the dark.
3. Compliance Focus Over Learning Focus
Most practitioners (myself included) have found themselves scrambling online days before renewal deadlines, seeking the cheapest, easiest options available. While I'm not proud of this approach, it's understandably common given the first two challenges.
The missed opportunity: When course selection becomes purely transactional, we lose chances to address genuine knowledge gaps and improve clinical outcomes. This leaves us feeling like pursing CEU’s is just a waste of time.
Solving The CEU Problem
All of the reasons above are why we created our business focused CEU’s for counselors at Allyssa Powers. We saw a huge gap in learning about business skills in grad school and wanted to create an affordable option for therapists who want to start a private practice, but feel stuck on how to do it or don’t have the cash to invest in a course that is thousands of dollars.
Finding CE Courses That Transform Your Practice
1. Define Specific Learning Goals
Instead of: "I need 30 CE hours before my license expires."
Try: "I want to improve my a DBT skills for anxiety disorders."
When you view CE as professional investment rather than administrative burden, you'll prioritize educational value over cost—and discover genuinely valuable learning opportunities.
2. Analyze Learning Objectives Strategically
Learning objectives ("By the end of this course, participants will be able to...") reveal course sophistication and target audience.
For specialized practitioners: Seek advanced objectives covering unfamiliar concepts or recent developments in your specialty area.
For generalists: Look for objectives that bridge multiple skill areas or introduce evidence-based approaches you haven't explored.
3. Embrace Beginner's Mindset in New Areas
Consider this: When did you last approach professional learning with genuine curiosity about an unfamiliar topic?
Exploring new practice areas through CE can reinvigorate long-time practitioners and reveal unexpected career directions. Rather than repeatedly reinforcing existing knowledge, challenge yourself to learn something genuinely new.
This principle applies to presenter selection too. While famous or well known presenters often deliver polished content, lesser-known experts frequently offer deeper, more current insights from active clinical practice.
4. Seek Courses That Challenge Your Assumptions
Counterintuitive advice: Choose courses that might contradict your current approach
The most valuable CE experiences often challenge established beliefs. As Dudley Field Malone observed, "I have never learned anything from someone who agreed with me."
When courses challenge your knowledge:
Non-defensive examination strengthens confidence in sound practices
Recognition of outdated methods prevents clinical stagnation
Engagement levels increase dramatically compared to familiar content
Transform Required CEU’s into Business Trainings
If you want to bridge the gaps that grad school left you with when it comes to building a private practice look no further than our signature course “The Private Practice Lab”, where you will get comprehensive insight into building a private practice of our dreams that is fully aligned with your values.
