Why You Should Become a CE Provider
It’s true. Becoming a continuing education provider is easier than you think. As a mental health professional, you’re already familiar with the ins and outs of acquiring a certain number of continuing education credits per year to keep your license up to date. But you may be less aware of the many benefits of becoming a continuing education (CE) provider yourself.
You may already have expert knowledge of or are passionate about an aspect of your profession, be it EMDR or trauma-informed care, and are well-suited to share it with your colleagues. Sometimes the hurdles of accreditation, fear of not knowing how many people will register for your seminar, or believing the process is too complex can keep you from offering this knowledge to other mental health professionals and help them better care for their clients. We understand. In many ways, we’ve been there ourselves. That’s why we want to share with you the top five benefits of becoming a CE credit provider.
Increase Your Revenue
One of the most popular reasons to become a CE credit provider is to diversify your income and increase your revenue as a mental health professional. For each webinar, seminar, or online course you provide for CE credits, you have the potential to earn a profit based on your costs and set registration fees.
It’s also worth noting that while anyone can create an online course, by offering APA CE credits, you’ll attract a higher caliber of professionals who will be searching for courses just like yours in order to meet their licensure requirements.
The more courses you offer—and the larger your audience grows—the more revenue you will earn. And as a mental health professional, it’s always nice to have an additional source of income outside of your regular practice.
Stand Out and Improve Your Hiring Potential
If you operate a private practice you may find that offering CE courses and highlighting your thought leadership in your field allows you to increase your rates. On the other hand, if you work in an organization or group practice, becoming a continuing education provider can help you advocate for a higher salary or better compensation. Offering CE credits also improves your authority as a mental health professional and gives you the ability to stand out among your peers.
Expand Your Professional Network
When you become a CE credit provider, you open yourself up to a new network. While you can network and find mentors by receiving CE credits yourself, offering CE credits invites you into a higher level of fellow professionals and thought leaders. And, by forming strong relationships with fellow continuing education providers, you are opening yourself up to new opportunities you may not have been aware of before. Imagine all the potential techniques, processes, research studies, and collaborations that could come your way.
Step Out of Your Comfort Zone
Out of all the benefits of becoming a continuing education provider for mental health professionals, this is by far the most impactful. You can grow in many ways, some expected and some unexpected, by offering CE credits for your webinars, seminars, or online courses. Beginning any new endeavor opens you up to risk, but also endless opportunities for personal growth. You’re likely familiar with the mental health benefits of pushing yourself to step out of your comfort zone, but it’s quite another thing to do it yourself. And you don’t have to do it all at once. Have an informative conversation with a colleague who offers CE credits, seek out co-sponsorship, and begin brainstorming about what topic you’d like to teach.
Take Advantage of New Opportunities
There is no shortage of opportunities to provide CE credits for fellow mental health professionals. In the past two years, the need for and interest in mental health has grown exponentially. More people are considering graduate school to become social workers or therapists but may want to take a CE course before enrolling. Other professionals are searching for new ways to improve their skills in trauma-informed care, EMDR, and many other modalities to better provide for their clients.
And, with the rise of online education platforms and video streaming, teaching these skills is easier than ever before. In the mental health field, there will always be more to learn, more to teach, and more demand for your expertise. You can offer CE courses from anywhere with WIFI access and the ability to record or use Zoom.
Offer APA CE Credits with The CE Company
We’re on a mission to increase the availability of continuing education in mental health. That’s why at the CE Company, we have created a straightforward process to help you offer CE credits for your continuing education program.
Offering your skillset to your fellow mental health providers could be your next calling. It’s our goal to equip you with the tools you need to offer CE credits in a compliant and cost-effective manner. Any mental health practitioner should be able to share their depth of knowledge without barriers.
Ready to take the first step to become a CE credit provider? Begin the process by creating your own account today.