NBCC Policies and Procedures

As an NBCC Approved Continuing Education Provider, The Practice Class, LLC conducts all programs offered for NBCC credit in accordance with the NBCC Provider Policy. The Practice Class, LLC is dedicated to upholding the responsibility for maintaining training records and submitting requested information and program materials in an accurate, complete, and timely fashion. The Practice Class, LLC conducts all education and business activities in a responsible, lawful, and ethical manner, including compliance with all applicable local, state, and federal legal requirements. The Practice Class, LLC organizational governance documents and operational principles are consistent with NBCC Provider Policy as well as applicable legal requirements. 

The Practice Class, LLC does not discriminate against any individual or group with respect to any service, program or activity offered by The Practice Class, LLC, based on gender, race, creed, national origin, sexual orientation, religion, age, organizational membership, or any other basis prohibited by law. Additionally, The Practice Class, LLC does not require program participants to accept or adhere to any religion, religious principles, creed, or other political principles. The Practice Class, LLC conducts all programs in a manner that is consistent with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act, providing appropriate accommodations to participants with legally recognized disabilities, including physical, visual, and auditory disabilities. Participants are given the opportunity to request specific accommodations on the registration form.

Finally, The Practice Class, LLC strives to complete all training activities within the ethical guidelines of the licensing boards for all relevant disciplines, including counselors, social workers, and licensed marriage and family therapists.

 I. Description of Policies & Procedures 

A) Records- The Practice Class, LLC will maintain a complete and accurate copy of the following records for each program offered, to meet NBCC requirements to offer CE credit for programs hosted by The Practice Class, LLC: 

• Roster identifying program participants 

• List of all live event program presenters, including presenter qualifications, and a description of content presented by that presenter

 • List of all authors and presenters of home study programs, and a description of the content presented by the author/presenter

 • Program content description

 • Attendee/participant evaluations 

• Program promotional/marketing materials

 • Program agenda and materials distributed to participants, including the learning objectives

B) Confidentiality- The Practice Class, LLC will protect the confidentiality of participant information including, but not limited to, participant identity and information and materials submitted to the organization by training participant(s). The Practice Class, LLC will take the following steps to ensure participant confidentiality:

 • Provide secure registration platform via The Practice Class, LLC website

 • Provide secure payment platform via The Practice Class, LLC website 

• Restrict communication regarding participant(s) to secure communication platform (Hushmail)

 • Store records that include participant information in a secure location only accessible to The Practice Class, LLC program administrator.

 C) Program Complaints- The Practice Class, LLC is committed to conducting all activities in strict conformation with the ACA and NBCC grievance procedures. During The Practice Class, LLC training events, the trainer is granted authority to address and resolve any concerns that may arise. The trainer will do their due diligence to address concerns during the training to include making room adjustments (temperature, table configuration, increasing volume), addressing staff issues, etc. If the trainer is unable to resolve the participant’s concerns, the complaints should be presented in writing to Dr. Dawn Brunkenhoefer, LPC, Owner & Operator of The Practice Class, LLC. All program complaints/disputes will be reviewed by the Owner of The Practice Class, LLC, Dr. Dawn Brunkenhoefer, LPC, within 5 business days. The Practice Class, LLC approach to resolving grievances is designed with the goal of always doing what is in the best interest of the participant. Steps that will be taken in the event a participant lodges a complaint include:

• Formal review process with the Owner/Operator present • Discussion and documentation of appropriate steps to take to ensure the focus of the complaint is addressed within The Practice Class, LLC training program 

**The Practice Class, LLC maintains that it will report any complaints, disputes, or other grievances to the NBCC within sixty days of our becoming aware of the issue; this is in accordance with NBCC policies as a CE provider. All related written communication and materials will be reported to NBCC**

D) Program Fees- The Practice Class, LLC reserves the right to determine appropriate fees as it

 relates to obtaining continuing education from any of the organization’s continuing education trainings based on the length of the training as well as the training content. 

E) Program Cancellation Policy- The Practice Class, LLC reserves the right to cancel any training 10 days prior to the first day of the scheduled training if it does not meet its minimum attendance requirement of 10 participants.

 F) Unforeseen Events- The Practice Class, LLC also reserves the right to cancel any training up to 24 hours before the first day of the scheduled training if something occurs that is beyond the organization’s ability to control. This is including, but not limited to, severe weather, national disaster, sudden illness, or death of a relation to the scheduled trainer.

 G) Participant Cancellation Policy- Participants are allowed to cancel their registration up to 24 hours prior to the first day of the scheduled training. Cancellations must be in writing directed to either Dr. Dawn Brunkenhoefer, LPC, Owner and Continuing Education Program Administrator.

 H) Refunds- If The Practice Class, LLC needs to cancel a scheduled training, participants will receive 100% of their registration fee in the form of a credit toward future training or will receive a full refund to their method of payment. If the participant requests to cancel their registration, participants will have the option of being issued a credit for future training or to receive a refund of their registration fee, which may be subject to a 30% cancellation fee.

I) Program Materials- The Practice Class, LLC has a commitment to quality, with that in mind the organization works to ensure that all qualifying program materials are professional in content and appearance; this includes all informational and advertising materials. The Practice Class, LLC is also responsible and works to ensure all program materials do not infringe upon, or violate, intellectual property or privacy rights of another party, including copyright, trademark, and license rights. Any materials used are either owned by The Practice Class, LLC, or the organization/trainer has received expressed permission to use such materials, while giving appropriate credit to the original source. Materials created for continuing education and periodically updated and reviewed based on relevant research and findings. 

J) Program Advertising- The Practice Class, LLC makes all program advertising and marketing materials available to the public without restriction, except for trainings commissioned by private organizations.

K) Program Information Publication & Program Information Access- In accordance with the NBCC Continuing Education Provider Policy, The Practice Class, LLC will make the following information available to the public, participants, and the NBCC in a complete and accurate manner, unless the training program is commissioned by a private organization, in which case it will only be available to participants: 

• Program registration requirements 

• Program content description and learning objectives 

• The name and qualifications of each program presenter or author

 • The number of NBCC hours offered for completion of the program 

• The provider contact information, including mailing address, telephone number, e-mail address, and web site address 

L) Qualified Presenters & Relevant Content- As outlined in the NBCC Continuing Education Provider Policy, all trainers/presenters/authors must be qualified based on relevant education and/or experience requirements. The Practice Class, LLC has a standard that all trainers/presenters/ authors qualify as a Category 1 Presenter: having a graduate degree in a mental health field from a regionally accredited educational institution and be qualified by appropriate education, experience, and/or training to train/present/author on the subject matter. Additionally, The Practice Class, LLC requires that our trainers/presenters/ authors have demonstrated competency and experience in the areas they provide education on.

The Practice Class, LLC also reviews all training materials to ensure they relate to relevant content areas as outlined by the NBCC, the content areas are as follows: Counseling Theory/Practice and the Counseling Relationship, Human Growth and Development, Social and Cultural Foundations, Group Dynamics and Counseling, Career Development and Counseling, Assessment, Research and Program Evaluation, Counselor Professional Identity and Practice Issues, and Wellness and Prevention. Note: as per the NBCC Continuing Education Provider Policy any material included in The Practice Class, LLC educational programs which relates to the content areas of counseling theory, counseling practice, counseling relationships, and the evaluation and/or treatment of clients is presented/authored by a Category 1 Presenter.

M) Program Evaluation Policy- Evaluations are required as a part of every training hosted by The Practice Class, LLC. The method of the evaluation is dependent on whether the event is being hosted as a live in-person event or a live virtual event; pen and paper evaluations are used for live in-person events and a digital copy of evaluations are used for live virtual events. Each evaluation includes the title and date of the program. Evaluations are used to gather information on participant satisfaction in the areas of content, setting, faculty/presenter effectiveness, and instructional methods. The current evaluation requests participants to rate different statements related to the content areas listed above on a 1 to 5 Likert rating scale, with a 1 representing disagreement with the statement and a 5 representing agreement with the statement. A section for general comments is also provided. Evaluations are collected at every training event, as per NBCC ACEP policy, and are kept on file for at least five years from the date of the program. Evaluations are reviewed by the presenter as well as The Practice Class, LLC administrative team. Feedback, both positive and negative, is viewed as an opportunity for growth and is used to inform future program events. The Practice Class, LLC training program seeks to alter trainings based on feedback on participant experience, training content, and training staff. Which may include, altering the facility or organization of the event, updating topics or training content, and/or improving the trainer’s approach and methods for training delivery. Any modifications made to the program based on participant evaluations are reported to the NBCC, included in the Practice Class, LLC audit forms.

N) ACEP Provider Status & Maintenance- The Practice Class, LLC is dedicated to ensuring compliance with all NBCC Continuing Education Provider Policies and all other policies published by the NBCC. As an ACEP Provider we have been authorized to offer NBCC credit for each program that we determine satisfies all Policy requirements, which are subject to prior or subsequent NBCC approval or rejection. As an ACEP Provider we are also responsible for and commit to displaying the NBCC ACEP trademark on all print and electronic program advertising, promotional and informational materials, as well as the main page of the ACEP Web site(s).

 II. Procedure for Training Event

 A) Registration & Sign-In- Participants register and complete payment online through a secure platform linked with The Practice Class, LLC website. A roster is generated based on registrations to use the day of the training. Sign-in procedures are dependent on whether the training is a live in-person event or a live virtual event. For live in-person events, a location for registration is designated by The Practice Class, LLC training staff. A pen and paper form are available for registrants to sign in. Registrants are requested to provide their first and last name, email address they registered with, as well as their license type, and state of licensure. For events with less than 10 participants the trainer is responsible for registration duties. For events with more than 10 participants additional The Practice Class, LLC staff is available to support with the registration process. The Practice Class, LLC staff is responsible for checking to ensure that attendees completed the registration for this training event; only participants that have registered and paid for the event will be eligible to attend and to receive CEs. For live virtual events participants are asked to complete the sign-in process in the appropriate manner, either by signing in via the chat on the learning platform, a virtual Sign-in form available via a link provided by the training staff, or via a paper form accessible through their learning platform.

B) Evaluations, Certificates & Sign-Out- Participants are provided with evaluation forms at the end of each The Practice Class, LLC event in accordance with the NBCC Approved Continuing Education Provider Policy. The training staff member is responsible for making an announcement requesting the completion of evaluation forms. Training staff is also responsible for explaining that certificates with proof of CE credit cannot be provided to the participant until The Practice Class, LLC staff have received a completed evaluation form. Instructions are also given, that once the evaluation is completed, the participant must submit that evaluation form as well as completing the sign-out procedures for the training event. This announcement may be made at the beginning of the training and is reiterated prior to the close of the educational event. Upon completion of the training material, participants are released, and The Practice Class, LLC staff are available to assist participants in submitting their evaluations and provide reminders to participants that they complete the sign-out procedures prior to receiving their certificate. The Practice Class, LLC staff are responsible for checking that all fields on the sign-in/sign-out sheet has been completed in addition to briefly scanning the evaluation to ensure its completion prior to issuing the participants’ CE certificate. Once The Practice Class, LLC staff have ensured all the required fields have been filled in and the evaluation has been completed, the signed CE certificate is issued to the participant. Sign-in/Sign-Out procedures are the issuance of participant CE certificates are completed using pen and paper for our live in-person events and are completed in digital form and submitted via the learning platform or email for our live virtual training events. 

Questions related to The Practice Class, LLC Training Policies & Procedures should be addressed to the Owner and Continuing Education Program Administrator, Dr. Dawn Brunkenhoefer, LPC, dr.dawn@thepracticeclass.com