A Reflection on Recertification, by Dr. Erin Avery, CEP. AICEP Commissioner

My, how time flies. It has been another five years since I recertified. Like measuring my life by the ages of my growing children, sometimes I stop and think, “How can five years possibly fly by so quickly?” As my oldest child prepares to leave home in September, I pause to reflect on my two decades as an educational consultant and my decade as a Certified Educational Planner. 

A client, contemplating the shifting sands of higher education, remarked last week, “We need you now more than ever, Dr. Avery.” To that, I say that I need AICEP more than ever. Not only do I make a point to share with each and every prospective client that I am among a group of professionals in my field that supremely values continuing education, so much so that I would commit to 75 campus visits to fulfil my recertification requirements. I am also proud to share that I passed an exhaustive assessment that validated my college and boarding school knowledge by a committee of my peers.

To say that being a CEP is “the gold standard of educational consultants” is no exaggeration. If one peruses the paperwork that recertification entails, one will note the many ways that we can document our professional development. For me, teaching for the past eight years in the UC Irvine Certificate in Educational Consulting program counts toward my recertification as well as having published my first book this year. I also have completed much community service with a local girls’ middle school which also has a place in the documentation. In addition to teaching, publishing articles and community service, leadership of all kinds can be used toward fulfilling recertification goals. So there are many ways to demonstrate our growth and professional mastery in our field.

Please consider joining us in our efforts to set the highest standard for the field through our commitment to continued professional development and certification. Your clients will attest that your consulting is worth its weight in gold.