California 12-Hour Law and Ethics Course for Out-of-State Applicants (LCSW, LPCC, LMFT)

Price

$49

Enroll for $49

Pay securely on Payhip. CE credit is awarded after you complete the reading, pass the post-test at 70% or higher, and complete the evaluation.

About this course

If you are licensed or trained outside California and applying for a California LCSW, LPCC, or LMFT license, the California BBS requires a minimum of 12 hours of coursework in California law and professional ethics (BPC 4980.72, 4996.17.1, 4999.60). The California BBS guides say the coursework may come from "an acceptable continuing education provider," and a CAMFT-approved provider is one. This course covers every topic the statutes list, including advertising, scope of practice and competence, minors, confidentiality, privilege, records, abuse reporting, dangerous clients, telehealth, insurance reimbursement, civil liability, family law, discipline and ethics complaints, termination, work settings, and the licensing process.

This course is one requirement, not all of them. It does not replace the California Law and Ethics Examination. Path A applicants also need California Cultures and Socioeconomic Position: 15-Hour Course for Out-of-State Applicants, California Child Abuse Assessment and Reporting (7 hours), California Suicide Risk Assessment and Intervention (6 hours), and fingerprints. Path B applicants need more, and for Path B LMFT and LPCC applicants whose degree had no full-length law and ethics course, the California BBS says "A CE course will not be accepted." Check the California BBS guide for your license before you enroll. All four Path A courses are on our out-of-state applicants page, one by one or as a bundle.

Learning objectives

After completing this course, you will be able to:

1. Identify the scope of practice statute for each California BBS license type, the Board's priority of public protection, and the law and ethics CE rule for licensees.
2. Distinguish confidentiality from privilege and apply the main exceptions under California law.
3. Apply HIPAA and California records law, including the CMIA authorization rules and client access to records.
4. Apply California child, elder, and dependent adult abuse reporting rules, including timelines and the personal nature of the duty.
5. Apply the duty to protect under Civil Code 43.92, the WIC 8105 firearm report, and 5150 holds.
6. Apply California rules on minor consent and parent access to a minor's records.
7. Identify unprofessional conduct, boundary problems, and sexual misconduct rules under California law.
8. Apply the California BBS telehealth standards, the client location rule, and California rules on technology and artificial intelligence.
9. Describe recent changes in California law and apply the professional ethics codes with a decision model.
10. Describe Path A and Path B for out-of-state applicants, where the 12-hour course fits, its timing, and the other requirements it does not replace.
11. Apply California advertising rules, separate scope of practice from scope of competence, and list the disclosures clients must receive.
12. Apply California parity and timely access law, code services accurately, and avoid insurance fraud.
13. State the elements of professional negligence, how the standard of care is proven, and the role of documentation.
14. Apply custody, consent, records access, and privilege rules in family law situations, and separate the treating role from the evaluator role.
15. Describe association ethics complaints and California BBS discipline, including discipline from another state, and end therapy without abandonment.
16. Apply legal and ethical standards in private practice, agencies, schools, forensic, and other work settings.
17. Identify the California rules that most often differ from other states, such as the firearm report, minor consent, and recording consent.
18. Apply the course to integrated cases involving several laws and ethics standards at once.

Who this course is for

Instructor

John Oliver Ycaro, LPCC (also the course developer and CE provider). About 10 years of clinical experience in community mental health, the VA, and private practice. Expertise relevant to this course: California BBS practice, law and ethics CE, and private practice clinical work.

Under CAMFT CEPA rules, the named instructor meets instructor qualifications by current related licensure and a related master’s degree (and related practice experience). A current CV is kept in the provider’s CE records.

How it works

1. Enroll through the secure Payhip checkout. You get the course right away.
2. Read the self-study text at your own pace.
3. Take the online post-test (70% to pass; retakes free) and confirm you did the work yourself.
4. Complete a short course evaluation (required for CE credit).
5. Receive your certificate by email within 1 business day after you pass and complete the evaluation.

Completion records are kept for at least 4 years.

CE information

Course meets the qualifications for 12 hours of continuing education credit for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, and/or LEPs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences.

CE hours are based on the length of the required reading, using our documented hours method. Your time may vary with your clinical experience and reading speed.

California Counselor CEUs (John Oliver Ycaro) is approved by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists to sponsor continuing education for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs and LEPs. California Counselor CEUs (John Oliver Ycaro) maintains responsibility for this program/course and its content.

Out-of-state applicants: keep your certificate. The California BBS guide for your license explains how to show completed coursework with your application.

Provider mailing address: 200 San Mateo Ave, Los Gatos, CA 95030

Questions

Do out-of-state applicants need a 12-hour California law and ethics course?

Yes. Out-of-state LCSW, LPCC, and LMFT applicants need a minimum of 12 hours of coursework in California law and professional ethics (BPC 4980.72, 4996.17.1, 4999.60). The California BBS guides say the coursework may come from an acceptable continuing education provider. This course is $49, 12 CE hours.

Is this the only thing I need for a California license?

No. It is one item on a longer list. Path A applicants also need 15 hours on California cultures and socioeconomic position, 7 hours of child abuse assessment and reporting, 6 hours of suicide risk assessment and intervention, the California Law and Ethics Examination, and fingerprints. Path B applicants need more. Check the California BBS guide for your license.

Do I need all four out-of-state courses?

It depends on what the California BBS lists for you. Your California BBS evaluation or deficiency letter names the coursework you still need, so buy only those courses, or get all four in the $69 bundle on our out-of-state applicants page.

Can California licensed clinicians take this course for renewal?

Yes. California LCSWs, LPCCs, and LMFTs can take it for renewal. It covers the 6 hours of law and ethics required each renewal period, and the other 6 hours count as electives toward your 36 (16 CCR 1887.3). You can claim a course only once per renewal period.

Is it CAMFT-approved?

Yes. California Counselor CEUs (John Oliver Ycaro) is a CAMFT-approved CE provider, CAMFT CEPA Provider #10072759.

How fast is the certificate?

Your certificate comes by email within 1 business day after you pass the post-test (70% to pass) and complete the evaluation.

Do I need a subscription or an account?

No. Each course or bundle is a one-time purchase, not a subscription. Checkout on Payhip asks only for your email and payment. No account, no login.

Is it easy to use?

Yes. You read at your own pace, take the online post-test, and your certificate comes by email. In anonymous course evaluations, an LMFT on Law and Ethics wrote: “It was easy, convenient, and informative.” An AMFT on California Law and Ethics for Associates wrote: “Easy, simple, clear and relevant to my profession.”

Are the post-test questions tricky?

No. Clear questions, no tricks. Scout points out the key concepts for the test in the study guide, one for each question, so you know what to focus on. Retakes are free.

What do clinicians say about these courses?

Here is what clinicians wrote in anonymous reviews. An APCC on Law and Ethics: “Definitely made the renewal process easy.” A clinician on Law and Ethics: “the ability to complete at my own pace”. An LMFT on Telehealth: “The content was easy to understand.” Reviewers often mention working at their own pace.

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