Continuing-education / CPD renewal requirements for behavioral and mental health licenses in Louisiana — hours or CPD model per cycle, mandated topics, live/interactive rules, and home-study limits. Pick a license for the full breakdown.
VerifiedLouisiana
LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker)
20hours / 1-year renewal cycle
10 live / interactive hours required
Mandated topics
- Clinical Social Work (diagnosis and treatment) — 10 hLCSW only; 10 of the 20 annual hours must be clinical (diagnosis and treatment)
- Ethics — 3 h3 hours of social work ethics every two years (not annually)
- Clinical Supervision — 3 hevery two years; only for the LCSW-BACS (Board Approved Clinical Supervisor) designation
Home study: Distance learning limited to 10 hours annually; the remaining 10 hours must be earned live/in-person (presenter and audience in the same physical room). The COVID-era waiver allowing all 20 via distance learning expired Aug 31, 2023.
Board notes: Regulated by the Louisiana State Board of Social Work Examiners (LABSWE) under LAC 46:XXV. Renews annually with a Sept 1-Aug 31 collection period; 20 hours required each year. The 3-hour ethics requirement is measured on a two-year basis, and the 3-hour clinical supervision requirement applies only to LCSW-BACS supervisors (also every two years). Applies to all licensed social workers; the 10-hour clinical/diagnosis component is specific to LCSWs.
View full LCSW requirements → VerifiedLouisiana
LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor)
40hours / 2-year renewal cycle
20 live / interactive hours required
Mandated topics
- Ethics — 3 h
- Diagnosis (DSM-5) — 6 h
- Social and Cultural Competence — 3 hphased in; board indicates this requirement begins in 2027
- Supervision — 3 hboard-approved supervisors (LPC-S) only; effective April 1, 2026
- Telehealth — 3 honly LPCs previously approved to provide teletherapy
Home study: No more than 20 of the 40 hours may be earned via asynchronous online/self-study; home-study (non-interactive mailed materials) is further sub-capped at 10 hours. Synchronous CE (live, interactive, real-time, including live webinars) counts as in-person and has no cap. Because at most 20 hours may be non-interactive self-study, at least 20 hours must be live/synchronous/interactive.
Board notes: Regulated by the Louisiana LPC Board of Examiners (LAC 46:LX). 40 CEHs per 2-year cycle (renewals due June 30). The board expressly treats synchronous/real-time CE as 'in-person.' Ethics 3, diagnosis 6, supervision 3 (LPC-S, effective April 2026), telehealth 3 (previously-approved telehealth practitioners), and a 3-hour social-and-cultural-competence requirement phasing in for 2027. Provisional (PLPC) licensees need only 20 hours per cycle.
View full LPC requirements → VerifiedLouisiana
Licensed Psychologist
40hours / 2-year renewal cycle
No live / interactive hours required — all hours may be self-study
Mandated topics
- Ethics or Law/Forensics — 2 hthe ethics course must include 'ethics' in the title
- Multiculturalism or Diversity — 2 h
Home study: No numeric cap on home study. APA-approved home study/prerecorded activities count toward the full 40 hours; live, virtual, and prerecorded formats are all acceptable. CE must span at least 2 of the board's 9 content categories.
Board notes: Regulated by the Louisiana State Board of Examiners of Psychologists (LSBEP), LAC 46:LXIII. 40 CPD hours per 2-year reporting period (recent cycle July 1, 2024-June 30, 2026) logged via the LSBEP portal. Only 2 hrs ethics/law + 2 hrs multicultural/diversity are mandated; no minimum live/in-person requirement.
View full Licensed Psychologist requirements → VerifiedLouisiana
LMFT (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist)
40hours / 2-year renewal cycle
20 live / interactive hours required
Mandated topics
- Ethics (marriage and family therapy specific) — 3 hmust be MFT-specific ethics; generic ethics not accepted
- Diagnosis and Treatment (DSM-5) — 6 h
- Social and Cultural Foundations — 3 hboard indicates the social-and-cultural requirement is phasing in (beginning 2027)
- Supervision — 6 h6 hours every 4 years; board-approved supervisors (LMFT-S) only
- Telehealth — 3 honly LMFTs previously approved to provide teletherapy
Home study: No more than 20 of the 40 hours may be earned via online/self-paced (asynchronous) coursework (coursework from regionally accredited institutions is excepted). Synchronous live CE counts as in-person and is uncapped; therefore at least 20 hours must be live/interactive.
Board notes: MFT licensure is administered by the Louisiana LPC Board of Examiners (LAC 46:LX). 40 CEHs per 2-year cycle. Requirements mirror the LPC structure: MFT-specific ethics 3, diagnosis 6, social/cultural foundations 3 (phasing in 2027), supervision 6 every 4 years (LMFT-S only), telehealth 3 (previously-approved). CE should be relevant to MFT scope. Provisional (PLMFT) licensees need only 20 hours per cycle, of which at least 10 must emphasize systemic MFT approaches.
View full LMFT requirements → VerifiedLouisiana
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; not separately itemized in the Louisiana Board rule
Home study: No live/in-person minimum. Louisiana caps certain activity types by percentage of the 32-hour total: CE-event instruction max 50%, BACB credentialing events max 25%, and scholarly activities max 25%. BACB ACE-provider CEUs are accepted.
Board notes: Louisiana separately licenses behavior analysts via the Louisiana Behavior Analyst Board (LAC 46:VIII, Chapter 8). Licensed Behavior Analysts must earn 32 CEUs per 2-year biennial period, of which 4 must be in ethics - matching the national BACB baseline (32 CEUs/2yr incl. 4 ethics; plus 3 supervision CEUs for those who supervise). State-Certified Assistant Behavior Analysts need 20 CEUs (incl. 4 ethics). The LA rule does not itemize a separate supervision CEU requirement, but applies percentage caps on instruction (50%), BACB events (25%), and scholarly activity (25%).
View full Licensed Behavior Analyst requirements → How many CE hours do behavioral health licenses require in Louisiana?
In Louisiana, hour-based licenses require 20 to 40 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 Louisiana?
Yes. Social work, counseling, psychology, marriage & family therapy, and behavior-analysis credentials each have their own requirements, mandated topics, and renewal cycles in Louisiana. This page lists each one separately.
Does Louisiana require ethics CE?
Louisiana 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.