Continuing-education / CPD renewal requirements for behavioral and mental health licenses in New Jersey — hours or CPD model per cycle, mandated topics, live/interactive rules, and home-study limits. Pick a license for the full breakdown.
VerifiedNew Jersey
LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker)
40hours / 2-year renewal cycle
No live / interactive hours required — all hours may be self-study
Mandated topics
- Ethics — 5 hSocial work ethics (boundaries, conflicts of interest, confidentiality, recordkeeping) per N.J.A.C. 13:44G-6.3
- Social and cultural competence — 3 h
- Prescription opioid drugs (risks/signs of abuse, addiction, diversion) — 1 h
- Clinical practice — 20 hLCSW only: at least 20 of the 40 credits must be directly related to clinical practice
Home study: No self-study/home-study cap and no face-to-face minimum stated in N.J.A.C. 13:44G-6; all 40 credits may be earned via approved distance/online CE.
Board notes: NJ State Board of Social Work Examiners; biennial renewal. LCSW = 40 credits (LSW = 30). Mandatory topics: 5 ethics, 3 social/cultural competence, 1 prescription opioid; LCSW additionally needs 20 clinical-practice credits (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-6.2 and 6.3). LCSW may carry a maximum of 8 surplus credits into the next biennium (LSW 6). Accepts ASWB ACE and other board-recognized approval entities.
View full LCSW requirements → VerifiedNew Jersey
LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor)
40hours / 2-year renewal cycle
No live / interactive hours required — all hours may be self-study
Mandated topics
- Ethics — 5 hEthical and legal standards
- Social and cultural competence — 3 h
- Prescription opioid drugs (risks/signs of abuse, addiction, diversion) — 1 hEffective Dec 1, 2018; opioid hour is not eligible for carryover
Home study: No self-study/home-study cap and no face-to-face/live minimum stated in N.J.A.C. 13:34-15; distance/online credit from approved sources is fully acceptable.
Board notes: NJ Professional Counselor Examiners Committee (governed by N.J.A.C. 13:34, subchapter 15; committee sits under the MFT board). Biennial renewal, 40 contact hours: 5 ethics, 3 social/cultural competence, 1 prescription opioid (N.J.A.C. 13:34-15.2). Up to 10 excess contact hours carry over to the next biennium, except the opioid hour cannot be carried over. No mandated live/in-person portion.
View full LPC requirements → VerifiedNew Jersey
Licensed Psychologist
40hours / 2-year renewal cycle
10 live / interactive hours required
Mandated topics
- Domestic violence — 4 h
- Prescription opioid drugs (risks/signs of abuse, addiction, diversion) — 1 h
- Board jurisprudence online review — 1 h
Home study: Up to 30 of the 40 credits may be home study/asynchronous; at least 10 credits must be earned in a setting with live interaction with the instructor.
Board notes: NJ State Board of Psychological Examiners (N.J.A.C. 13:42). Biennial renewal (June 30, odd years); 40 credits with 4 in domestic violence, 1 in prescription opioid drugs, and 1 via the Board's jurisprudence online review. At least 20 of the 40 must relate directly to the practice of psychology (from APA/National Register/ASPPB/AMA sources). Up to 10 credits carry over. No stand-alone general-ethics hour mandate, but jurisprudence review is required.
View full Licensed Psychologist requirements → VerifiedNew Jersey
LMFT (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist)
40hours / 2-year renewal cycle
20 live / interactive hours required
Mandated topics
- Ethical and legal standards related to marriage and family therapy — 5 hGeneral ethics or ethics of other professions not accepted
- Social and cultural competence — 3 h
- Prescription opioid drugs (risks/signs of abuse, addiction, diversion) — 1 hMandatory per N.J.A.C. 13:34-5.2; opioid hour is not eligible for carryover
Home study: At least 20 of the 40 contact hours must be obtained through face-to-face instruction (N.J.A.C. 13:34-5.2), effectively capping non-face-to-face/home study at 20 hours.
Board notes: NJ State Board of Marriage and Family Therapy Examiners (N.J.A.C. 13:34-5.2). Biennial renewal, 40 contact hours: 5 ethics/legal standards, 3 social/cultural competence, and 1 prescription opioid. At least 20 hours must be face-to-face. Up to 10 contact hours carry over to the next biennium (only if earned in the last six months of the cycle), except the opioid hour which cannot be carried over.
View full LMFT requirements → VerifiedNew Jersey
BCBA (national) / New Jersey Licensed Applied Behavior Analyst
32hours / 2-year renewal cycle
No live / interactive hours required — all hours may be self-study
Mandated topics
- Ethics — 4 h
- Supervision — 3 hOnly required if the certificant supervises others (BACB supervisor CEU requirement)
Home study: Recorded/online BACB ACE CEUs are broadly allowed; no state-imposed CE-format cap.
Board notes: New Jersey enacted behavior-analyst licensure in 2019 and licenses practitioners through the NJ State Board of Applied Behavior Analyst Examiners (Division of Consumer Affairs). Renewal is tied to maintaining current BACB certification, so continuing education effectively follows the national BACB recertification standard: 32 CEUs per 2-year cycle including 4 ethics CEUs, plus 3 supervision CEUs for those who supervise. NJ does not publish a separate CE-hour rule beyond the BACB baseline.
View full BCBA requirements → How many CE hours do behavioral health licenses require in New Jersey?
In New Jersey, hour-based licenses require 32 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 New Jersey?
Yes. Social work, counseling, psychology, marriage & family therapy, and behavior-analysis credentials each have their own requirements, mandated topics, and renewal cycles in New Jersey. This page lists each one separately.
Does New Jersey require ethics CE?
New Jersey requires dedicated ethics continuing education for: BCBA, LCSW, LMFT, LPC. 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.