Facts/Policies
Continuing Educational Credits Offered
By The Behavioral Health Training & Education Network (BHTEN)
Please note that if you are attending a BHTEN sponsored training that offers the subsequently described credit types, you will be asked to choose only one type of credit listed on the registration form or sign-in sheet. Please check during AM registration to make sure you are receiving the correct credit type. If you do not choose a credit type, then CEUs if offered for a given training, will be awarded. If you have any questions please ask a BHTEN trainer.
Pennsylvania Certification Board (PCB) Approved credits are for those individuals who have or are in the process of obtaining a recognized certificate related to drug and alcohol counseling and/or treatment services. These credits will help those individuals meet expectations related to obtaining/maintaining their certification. Specific questions about PCB approved credits should be directed to PCB.
The Continuing Education Unit, abbreviated CEU, is a continuing education credit that can only be awarded by an authorized provider such as BHTEN; CEU providers are recognized by the International Association of Continuing Education and Training (IACET). The CEU can be awarded to all participants regardless of their educational background and/or their licensure or certification needs. However, obtaining CEUs may or may not help participants maintain licensure or certification status; you will need to check with the licensing or certification board which oversees your licensure/certification.
Social Work Credits are approved and provided for some trainings as a result of BHTEN's relationship with the Bryn Mawr College Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research (GSSWSR). Bryn Mawr College GSSWSR, as a CSWE accredited School of Social Work, is a pre-approved provider of continuing education for Social Workers in PA and many other states.
CE Credits for Psychologists are provided for some trainings. BHTEN is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. BHTEN maintains responsibility for training program and content.
Note that for the IACET CEU credit type, divide the number of training contact hours by 10 to arrive at the number of CEU credits. For example 6.0 training hours equals 0.6 CEUs whereas 6 hours of the same training equals 6.0 PCB Approved credits, 6.0 social work credits and 6.0 CE credits for psychologists. What is important is not the absolute # of credits but the number of training contact hours the credits represent.
Return Check/Money Order Policy
Although the large majority of trainings sponsored by BHTEN are free to participants and their respective agencies, there are some educational events for which BHTEN charges a nominal fee. The Return Check/Money Order policy subsequently described was written in order to clarify our policy and, in addition, attempts to be fair to all parties concerned including the training participants and their respective agencies, BHTEN's fiduciary, The Consumer Satisfaction Team as well as BHTEN staff.
The current return check/money order policy is as followed:
1. No checks/money orders will be returned to individuals or their respective agencies for
participants who fail to cancel at least 72 business hours prior to the start of the training.
2. If cancellation is made prior to the 72 hour cutoff, then potential trainees should discuss with BHTEN Registration staff the disposition of the submitted check as follows:
The check can be returned to the individual/agency
The money can be applied to future paid trainings at BHTEN
3. Other conditions under which a check will be returned to the individual or their respective agency
include:
The training has reached registration capacity or
The training has been cancelled or
If the check has been received after the training registration period has ended
Cancellation or Late Opening due to Inclement Weather
If weather conditions are questionable and potentially hazardous, the BHTEN Director or his designee will make the decision as to whether or not a training(s) is/are to be held as advertised. The decision to conduct a scheduled training, to start the training late or to cancel a scheduled training due to inclement weather will be made by 6:15 AM on the day of the scheduled training. Participants should call the BHTEN main number, 215-923-2116 and listen to the directions for obtaining weather-related information.
State Mandated Trainings
During the spring of 2006, the Commonwealth's Bureau of Drug & Alcohol Program (BDAP) put into place an on-line training system, known as the BDAP Training Management System (or BTMS), so that the bureau can move toward becoming a paperless system. BDAP requires that all trainees interested in attending mandated trainings (e.g. PCPC, TB/STD, Confidentiality trainings, etc.) must set up a user profile on the BTMS.
This can be done by going on-line at https://bdap.health.state.pa.us/btms/logon.aspx and setting up your profile; look for the "new users" link on the homepage. You only need to set up your profile once on the BTMS system; if your profile information changes (e.g. your name, e-mail address, phone number or business address, etc.), you will be able to modify your profile as needed. Please note that, after the completion of a training, attendees will be able to do their training evaluations and get their certificates on-line if they have a profile set up. Click hereSetting Up BTMS Profile to obtain more details about how your profile relates to the actual registration process at BHTEN.
Agencies may also wish to request on-site State Mandated trainings held at their respective sites. Before requesting an on-site training, you must carefully read the BDAP Bulletin #7-06. This can be found at:
http://www.dsf.health.state.pa.us/health/cwp/view?A=173 & Q=241657
Once the bulletin has been read and understood, an On-Site Training Request form should be completed and e-mailed or faxed to Craig Strickland, PhD. Click this linkOn-Site Training Request to download the form. Once the form is received, you will be notified as to whether or not the request can be submitted to BDAP and an approximate date as to when the request can be submitted. Additional instructions will be sent from BHTEN once the training has been approved (typically 4 to 6 weeks before the requested training date).
Deaf and Hard of Hearing Sign-Language Interpreter Services
Our goal at BHTEN is to make sure that specialized services for those who are deaf/hard of hearing are provided in a cost-effective manner. Toward that end, we have developed the following policy regarding the scheduling and payment of sign-language interpreter services.
1. Upon receipt of notice that interpreter services are required for agency staff to attend BHTEN sponsored events, BHTEN will schedule the sign-language interpreters.
2. Through its fiduciary, the Consumer Satisfaction Team, BHTEN will pay for all interpreter services; note that reimbursement includes the interpreter hourly rate as well as any reasonable and related travel costs incurred by the interpreters.
There are several circumstances whereby BHTEN through it's fiduciary will seek reimbursement from the agency who registered staff for a training or conference; these conditions include:
1. Pre-registered agency staff members do not attend a scheduled event and interpreters cannot be cancelled in a timely manner
a. Note: For single (one day) events, BHTEN requires a minimum of three business days between the date of the scheduled event and the day of cancellation. For example, if the event were scheduled on a Friday, BHTEN would need to receive notice by the previous Monday (the three days between would be Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday). If the cancellation notice is received with less than three business days between the date of the scheduled event and the day of cancellation, the agency will be charged the full interpreter rate as dictated by the interpreter service.
b. If the cancellation is for an entire series of events, then the cancellation must be made with seven (7) business days between the date of the scheduled event and the day of cancellation. For example, BHTEN's Adult Case Management Orientation series includes one session per week for 11 weeks; BHTEN would have to receive cancellation notice seven (7) business days between the date of the first session and the day of cancellation in order to avoid incurred costs from the interpreter service.
2. Pre-registrations are received in such a manner that interpreters must be scheduled at the last minute. BHTEN requires a minimum of ten (10) business days prior to the start of the event in order to properly schedule interpreters. If BHTEN is charged additional fees for scheduling interpreters at the last minute, the agency agrees to pay the difference between the normal rate and the increased rate as stipulated by the interpreter service.
Note that BHTEN subcontracts for interpreter services and that interpreter availability is beyond BHTEN control; thus appropriate notification of the need for services is crucial.
Provision of Transcripts/Duplicate Certificates
For all BHTEN sponsored events, training certificates are awarded which generally serve two purposes: verification of attendance and documentation of achieved continuing education credits (ceus). If a trainee requests a duplicate certificate or a transcript, BHTEN charges a $10 per person/per copy fee. If you desire such a duplicate certificate fee or a transcript, click here Certificate Transcript Request Form.
Policy for Paid Trainings at BHTEN
Over the past several years, the Behavioral Health Training and Education (BHTEN) has experienced increasing difficulties regarding our paid trainings; these trainings have a registration fee associated with them and are, for the most part, open to a general audience.
We request that agencies submit checks or money orders with their registration forms during the pre-registration period preceding each training; we do this to expedite bookkeeping procedures as well as to reduce confusion on the day of the trainings. The latter is terribly important in that we have between 6500 to 8000 trainees from over 300 agencies come through our doors each year to attend approximately 150 different trainings, conferences and other educational events. To insure a positive learning experience, we must make sure the registration process is organized and easily accessible for both BHTEN staff and training attendees.
Agency staff that shows up on the day of the training without pre-registering and without having submitted the required payment will not be permitted to attend the training.
It is our hope that by sharing this policy with all attendees, we can continue to improve the manner in which we provide educational services.
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