BCBA Recertification Requirements - Continuing Education
Welcome to the comprehensive guide on Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for maintaining your Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) certification. Let's delve into the importance of CEUs, the specific requirements, and the diverse options available to fulfill these requirements.
Understanding the Significance of CEUs
Initial BCBA certification signifies the attainment of entry-level standards of practice as a behavior analyst. The Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) mandates a Continuing Education (CE) requirement to ensure that BCBA certificants go beyond the basics and continually enhance their behavior-analytic skills, staying abreast of industry developments.
BCBA CEU Requirements Overview
As a BCBA, you are obligated to acquire 32 CEUs within each 2-year recertification cycle. This includes 4 CEUs dedicated to ethics and 3 CEUs for supervision (applicable for supervisors). All earned CEUs must fall within the respective recertification cycle. For instance, if your recertification date is September 30, 2021, CEUs accrued from October 1, 2021, to September 30, 2023, will count toward your next recertification.
BCBA Recertification Process
Recertification involves completing 32 CEUs (including 4 in Ethics and 3 in Supervision, if applicable). Ensure compliance with BACB Ethics and Self-Reporting Requirements throughout the 2-year cycle. The last opportunity to meet CEU requirements is when you enter all your CEUs, no earlier than 45 days before your recertification date. Failure to meet these requirements by the specified deadline results in certification expiration.
CEU Types and Documentation
BCBAs can earn CEUs through three main activities:
1.) Learning: Attend events from Authorized Continuing Education (ACE) Providers, complete behavior-analytic graduate courses, or participate in BACB certification activities.
2.) Teaching: Teach ACE events or university courses in behavior analysis at an accredited institution.
3.) Scholarship: Publish articles in peer-reviewed journals or write review/decision letters for behavioral analysis articles.
Each activity type has specific documentation requirements, and CEUs are awarded based on time spent (e.g., 25 minutes of learning equals 0.5 CEUs).
CEU Content and Requirements
CEUs can cover various aspects of behavior analysis, including practice, science, methodology, theory, or the profession. Ethics CEUs must address ethical issues in behavior-analytic practice or research, while supervision CEUs focus on behavior analytic supervision.
Ethics/Supervision CEU Overlap and Repeating Activities
CEUs may overlap as either ethics or supervision, but not both. CEUs acquired from the 8-hour supervision training count as supervision CEUs only. Repeating CE activities, without offering new or expanded knowledge, do not fulfill BACB certification requirements.
Remember, the intent behind CEUs is continuous development, so explore diverse options in terms of format, content, and providers that align with your professional development plan. Stay informed, meet your CEU requirements, and contribute to the ongoing growth of behavior analysis.
