Continuing-education / CPD renewal requirements for behavioral and mental health licenses in Alaska — hours or CPD model per cycle, mandated topics, live/interactive rules, and home-study limits. Pick a license for the full breakdown.
VerifiedAlaska
LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker)
45hours / 2-year renewal cycle
10 live / interactive hours required
Mandated topics
- Substance abuse education — 6 h
- Cross-cultural education — 6 hAt least 3 of the 6 must address issues relating to Alaska Natives; for a first renewal all 6 must address Alaska Natives.
- Professional ethics — 3 h
- Teletherapy practice — 3 h
- Suicide education — 3 h
Home study: At least 10 contact hours must be earned by attending live, live-online, or synchronous training courses; the remainder may be self-study/correspondence/pre-recorded. Max 12 contact hours may be earned in any single day.
Board notes: Board of Social Work Examiners (12 AAC 18.210). 45 hours for second and subsequent biennial renewals; first renewal is 45 hours if licensed 12+ months, else 21 hours if licensed under 12 months. For the first renewal, all 6 cross-cultural hours must address Alaska Natives; for subsequent renewals at least 3 must.
View full LCSW requirements → VerifiedAlaska
LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor)
40hours / 2-year renewal cycle
20 live / interactive hours required
Mandated topics
- Professional ethics — 3 h
- Suicidality — 3 h
- Cultural competency — 3 h
Home study: Not more than one-half of the required hours (max 20 of 40) may be earned by correspondence/videotape/audio/other individual (self) study; a minimum of 20 hours must be synchronous (live) courses, seminars, or workshops. Max 12 contact hours per 24-hour period.
Board notes: Board of Professional Counselors (12 AAC 62.310). Biennial cycle ending October 31 of odd years (current cycle Nov 1, 2025 - Oct 31, 2027). Total hours are tiered by license issue date: 40 hours if licensed on/before Apr 30, 2024; 30 hours if licensed May 1-Oct 31, 2024; 20 hours if licensed Nov 1, 2024 or later. The 3+3+3 ethics/suicidality/cultural-competency requirement applies to all licensees; the 20-hour synchronous minimum applies to full 40-hour licensees.
View full LPC requirements → VerifiedAlaska
Licensed Psychologist
40hours / 2-year renewal cycle
20 live / interactive hours required
Mandated topics
- Professional ethics — 3 hRequired every renewal cycle (12 AAC 60.260).
- Cross-cultural education relating to Alaska Natives — 6 hRequired for the 2023-2025 cycle and for a licensee's FIRST renewal beginning on/after 7/1/2025; NOT required for subsequent renewals.
- Teletherapy practice — 4 hSame applicability as cross-cultural (2023-2025 cycle + first renewals on/after 7/1/2025 only).
- Suicide prevention — 3 hSame applicability (2023-2025 cycle + first renewals on/after 7/1/2025 only).
- Substance abuse education — 2 hSame applicability (2023-2025 cycle + first renewals on/after 7/1/2025 only).
Home study: At least one-half (20 of 40 hrs) must be earned through live interactive programs, courses, or training sessions (12 AAC 60.260 amendment adopted 2025), effectively capping asynchronous/home-study at 20 hours.
Board notes: Board of Psychologist and Psychological Associate Examiners. 20 credit hours per year (40 per 2-year cycle); renew by June 30 of odd years. A 2025 amendment to 12 AAC 60.260 now requires at least half of the hours be live/interactive (with a codified 'live interactive' definition). The expanded topic set (6 Alaska Native + 4 teletherapy + 3 suicide + 2 substance abuse) applies only to the 2023-2025 cycle and to first renewals after 7/1/2025; routine subsequent renewals require only 3 ethics hours.
View full Licensed Psychologist requirements → VerifiedAlaska
LMFT (Licensed Marital and Family Therapist)
45hours / 2-year renewal cycle
23 live / interactive hours required
Mandated topics
- Professional ethics — 2 h
- Addictions — 2 h
- Cross-cultural education — 2 h
- Domestic violence — 2 h
- Teletherapy (including teletherapy ethics) — 2 hOnly required if the licensee provides teletherapy services.
Home study: Individual/self study (correspondence, video, audio, individual study) may not exceed one-half of the required hours; for a full 45-hour renewal that caps self-study at ~22 hours, so at least ~23 hours must be synchronous.
Board notes: Board of Marital and Family Therapy (12 AAC 19.310). Biennial cycle ending December 31 of even years. Total hours scale with tenure during the concluding period: 45 hours if licensed 18+ months, 30 hours if 12-17 months, 23 hours if under 12 months. The four topic areas (ethics, addictions, cross-cultural, domestic violence) each require a minimum of 2 hours; teletherapy adds 2 hours if the licensee practices teletherapy. The synchronous minimum scales with the total (at least half).
View full LMFT requirements → VerifiedAlaska
Licensed Behavior Analyst (LBA) / BCBA
32hours / 2-year renewal cycle
No live / interactive hours required — all hours may be self-study
Mandated topics
- Ethics — 4 h
- Supervision — 3 hBACB requirement for certificants who supervise trainees/RBTs.
Home study: No state cap. BACB ACE learning CEUs (including recorded/online) are broadly allowed; from 7/1/2026 asynchronous CE must include at least 3 knowledge-check questions per CEU.
Board notes: CORRECTION: Alaska DOES separately license behavior analysts (AS 08.15 / 12 AAC 77), mandatory since Sept 16, 2014, administered by the Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing. However, the state does not impose its own numeric CE hours; license renewal (2-year cycle, licenses expire September 30 of even years) requires proof of CURRENT BACB certification. CE is therefore governed by the BACB standard: 32 CEUs per 2-year recertification cycle including 4 ethics CEUs and 3 supervision CEUs for those who supervise.
View full Licensed Behavior Analyst requirements → How many CE hours do behavioral health licenses require in Alaska?
In Alaska, hour-based licenses require 32 to 45 continuing-education hours per renewal cycle depending on the license type; some credentials follow a CPD model instead. See the table above for each credential.
Do CE requirements differ by license type in Alaska?
Yes. Social work, counseling, psychology, marriage & family therapy, and behavior-analysis credentials each have their own requirements, mandated topics, and renewal cycles in Alaska. This page lists each one separately.
Does Alaska require ethics CE?
Alaska requires dedicated ethics continuing education for: LCSW, LMFT, LPC, Licensed Behavior Analyst, Licensed Psychologist. Exact hour counts are on each license's page.
Updated July 2026 from official licensing-board, regulatory-college, and government sources. CE / CPD requirements change often — always confirm current rules directly with your licensing board or regulator before you renew. Informational only, not legal advice.