Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEP) Spotlight: Clearly Clinical

When Elizabeth “Beth” Irias, LMFT, began her journey as a therapist in 2009, she found it more convenient to obtain her continuing education (CE) online rather than taking off work for in-person courses. This led Irias to want to develop courses of her own. Irias didn’t just want to make CE more accessible and affordable, she wanted to make it more inclusive. As a queer woman, she saw the need for a platform that amplified the voices of clinicians from underserved communities.  

In 2018, Irias founded Clearly Clinical, an Oregon-based business that offers CE courses for clinical counselors, addictions counselors, social workers, psychologists, and therapists via 1-hour Light Up the Couch podcast episodes available across all platforms.  

Clearly Clinical is currently offering six free podcast CE courses featuring national experts including Julie Gottman, PhD; Irv Yalom, MD; Donald Meichenbaum, PhD; and the late Sue Johnson, EdD. Access to unlimited CE podcast courses through Clearly Clinical is available by subscribing for just $95 per year. 

More than 200 podcast courses are available on a variety of topics, including clinical documentation, artificial intelligence in clinical practice, managing sociopolitical stress, boundary building, law and ethics, cultural safety, trauma-informed care, and many others, with courses added every week or two.   

In addition to leading Clearly Clinical, Irias maintains a private practice where she specializes in supporting LGBTQIA+ clients. A former Adjunct Professor at Pepperdine University, she is also a trainer in utilization review and feedback-informed treatment and has shared her knowledge on national stages, presenting for organizations including the American Counseling Association and the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.  

Clearly Clinical’s courses are informative, engaging, and centered on real-world application. Irias says they are also proud to use the platform to elevate expert voices from underserved communities and to give back through charitable donations. “This is about more than just CE credits; it’s about creating a better, more inclusive future for our field,” she says. 

Clearly Clinical’s podcast-based CE is self-paced and non-interactive; it does not count toward “live” course requirements. Find out whether it is approved by your state licensure board here, and check with your state’s board about any specific topic requirements.  

Clearly Clinical has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider (No. 6954). Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Clearly Clinical is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs, including awarding of NBCC credits. More information about becoming an NBCC Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEP) is available here.  

**Opinions and thoughts expressed in NBCC Visions Newsletter articles belong to the interviewees and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or practices of NBCC and Affiliates.