I've Been Audited by the LPC Board! What Do I Do?
So you’ve just been audited by the LPC Board. What’s next?
Relax! It’s not as overwhelming as you may think (unless you don’t have all your CEUs completed, but we’ll cover that later in the article).
I talk to therapists all the time about the stress of being audited and the worry that’s experienced every two years when you see the letter from the LPC Board about renewing your license. While opening the letter, you experience this overwhelming anxiety about seeing the terrifying:
*** SELECTED FOR AUDIT***
This statement is near the top right corner of the letter. The license notification is also the only notice for renewal that you will receive, so make sure you pay attention to whether or not you’ve been audited.
I was audited this year for the first time by the LPC Board after a decade of being an LPC. I will share my experience, and how easy it was to complete the audit process. Here’s what happened:
When first realizing I was audited, it began with a slight panic. Questions like, “Why did they select me?” and “Do I have the hours?” and “How do I submit the hours to the board?” started going through my head. Fortunately, I completed my 40 hour training to be an approved LPC Supervisor last year so I knew I had the hours. I also attend a yearly training for my other primary counseling license, and created my own six-hour refresher course for LPC Supervisors. Overall, I had over 60 hours of CEUs completed within the last two years (only 24 are required).
Now that the initial panic had subsided, I could move on to how to renew my license. Typically, when not being audited, it’s a very easy process:
Go online to the Texas LPC Website
Click “Renew Your License” on the left side of the page
Click “Requirements” if you want to make sure you have completed everything that’s needed to submit for renewal. The main thing people seem to forget is that we have to take the Texas Jurisprudence Exam every two years as well.
Click “Renew Online” (I prefer this method, but you can also renew by mail)
Follow the steps to renew online, pay your fee, and your done!
Here’s the good news about being audited: it’s not much more difficult than the above mentioned process - just a couple extra steps!
When audited, this is what I did:
Go online to the Texas LPC Website
Click “Renew Your License” on the left side of the page
Click “Renew Online”
Follow the steps to renew online: at one point you will be asked to confirm that you completed a minimum of 24 hours of CEUs (remember, there are specific rules about the type of CEUs you must obtain every two years). Since you were audited, this is where you MUST upload all your CEU certificates from the past two years including your Texas Jurisprudence Exam certificate. Afterwards, continue following the online instructions and complete the process.
Here’s the most important part!! You are not done yet. There is one more step to take. I recommend calling the LPC Board, notify them that you were selected for audit, and ask for them to confirm that they received your renewal packet online, including your CEU certificates. Then, as long as you have the correct CEUs, you’re done!
In my case, the lady I spoke with was very helpful and notified me that they received my information, and my license showed renewed online within 24 hours from our conversation.
It was actually very easy to renew my license after being audited. The main thing is that you have all your CEUs completed. If not, here are some options:
First, don’t panic. The notice comes over two months in advance, so you have time to collect your additional CEU hours. (By the way, you should be earning the minimum CEU hours every two years, whether or not you get audited!) Next step, total up your current hours that have been completed and see what you need. Four hours must be ethics (one of those hours will be completed when you do your Texas Jurisprudence Exam). If you are an approved LPC Supervisor, you must also complete six hours of continuing education in supervision. Keep in mind, 9 hours of CEUs must by face-to-face. The other 15 hours can be completed online. If you’ve already completed at least 9 hours of face-to-face CEUs, you can easily gain the remainder of your hours needed online. Just make sure the online hours are pre-approved by the Texas LPC Board! The easiest way to confirm this is to go to the Texas LPC Website and click “Continuing Education”, then click “CE Providers”. This will take you to a page that will allow you to type in the provider’s name and confirm they are currently a pre-approved CE provider.
Once you’ve completed all the required CEUs, follow the steps mentioned above to successfully renew your license. Again, it’s VERY important to contact the board after you upload your CEUs online to make sure they are made aware, so they can review your application and hopefully approve it.
You can also do all this by mail, rather than online. If you are planning to mail everything in to the state, it’s a little bit different of a process. I can help you with that as well. Just send me an email, and I’ll walk you through it.
Overall, I appreciated the audit experience because it allowed me to diffuse the irrational fears I had about the process.