Volunteers who are considering retirement and giving up their practice licenses, can continue to volunteer if they are willing to get a different type of Minnesota license.
In psychology, there is now a Licensed Psychologist Volunteer (LP-V) license permitting (only) volunteer work. It costs one half of the regular license fee, so currently it is $250 for two years. Even better, there is no longer a continuing education requirement and the LP-V is not assessed any additional fees. (The Board of Psychology website is not yet updated to reflect this.)
In Social Work, there is an Emeritus Active License status which permits volunteer work and some limited paid work.
The social worker must have half of the normal required hours of continuing education, including at least two hours in social work ethics. The license fee for two years is one-half of the normal fee — so for example, an LICSW would pay $162, and an LISW $105. (For more information on volunteering, visit https://walkin.org/volunteer/.) For more information about licensure, go to https://mn.gov/boards/social-work/.
Unfortunately, it appears at present that counselors licensed by the Board of Behavioral Health & Therapy have no such provision. The same is true for Licensed Marriage and Family Therapy. If you hold one of those licenses, encouraging the Board to create an option for retiree volunteering at a lower cost, similar to those in psychology and social work, you can help make needed changes happen.
