Continuing Education

New York CE Requirements by License

Continuing-education / CPD renewal requirements for behavioral and mental health licenses in New York — hours or CPD model per cycle, mandated topics, live/interactive rules, and home-study limits. Pick a license for the full breakdown.

New York requirements at a glance

License	Profession	CE / CPD	Ethics	Live / interactive
LCSW / LMSW	Social Work	36 h / 3yr	—	—
LMHC	Counseling	36 h / 3yr	—	—
Licensed Psychologist	Psychology	36 h / 3yr	3 h	—
LMFT	Marriage & Family Therapy	36 h / 3yr	—	—
Licensed Behavior Analyst	Behavior Analysis	CPD	4 h	—

Requirements by license

Verified

New York

LCSW / LMSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker / Licensed Master Social Worker)

36hours / 3-year renewal cycle

No live / interactive hours required — all hours may be self-study

Mandated topics

Appropriate Professional Boundaries — 3 hRegulation (8 NYCRR 59.14): must complete 3 hours of coursework in appropriate professional boundaries in each 3-year registration period starting on/after April 1, 2023; counts toward the 36 and may satisfy ethics content

Home study: No more than 12 hours in any 36-month period (or one-third of the total in a period of other length) may be self-study; the remainder must be from other approved formats (live or interactive online with instructor interaction count as non-self-study).

Board notes: 36 hours per triennial registration period from NYSED-approved providers. Both LCSW and LMSW are subject to the same CE rule. Not required to complete CE during the initial three-year registration period after licensure. No mandatory live/in-person hours; interactive online courses are unlimited.

op.nysed.gov ↗op.nysed.gov ↗

View full LCSW / LMSW requirements →

Verified

New York

LMHC (Licensed Mental Health Counselor)

36hours / 3-year renewal cycle

No live / interactive hours required — all hours may be self-study

Mandated topics

Appropriate Professional Boundaries — 3 h3 hours of coursework in appropriate professional boundaries in each 3-year registration period starting on/after April 1, 2023; counts toward the 36. No separate minimum ethics-hour mandate, though law/ethics content is acceptable subject matter.

Home study: No more than 12 hours in any 36-month period (or one-third of the total in a shorter period) may be self-study; interactive online courses with instructor interaction are not counted as self-study.

Board notes: 36 hours per triennial registration period; all CE must be from NYSED-approved providers. Exempt from CE during the initial three-year registration period after licensure. No mandatory live/in-person hours. (50 minutes = 1 contact hour.)

op.nysed.gov ↗op.nysed.gov ↗

View full LMHC requirements →

Verified

New York

Licensed Psychologist

36hours / 3-year renewal cycle

No live / interactive hours required — all hours may be self-study

Mandated topics

Professional Ethics (including the laws, rules and regulations for practice in New York State) — 3 hMinimum 3 hours of professional ethics coursework in any 36-month registration period
Appropriate Professional Boundaries — 3 hThe Commissioner's regulation requiring 3 hours of appropriate-professional-boundaries coursework each 3-year period starting April 1, 2023 expressly applies to 'a licensed psychologist, social worker or mental health practitioner.' This is in addition to the 3-hour ethics requirement (a boundaries course can also satisfy ethics content).

Home study: Self-study may not exceed 12 hours in a three-year registration period (or one-third of the hours for a period other than 36 months). Interactive online courses are acceptable and not counted as self-study.

Board notes: Psychology CE became mandatory beginning January 1, 2021 (only courses taken on/after that date count): 36 hours per triennial period, pro-rated at 1 hour per month for shorter periods, from Department-approved psychology providers. Exempt during the initial three-year registration period after licensure. No mandatory live/in-person hours.

op.nysed.gov ↗op.nysed.gov ↗op.nysed.gov ↗

View full Licensed Psychologist requirements →

Verified

New York

LMFT (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist)

36hours / 3-year renewal cycle

No live / interactive hours required — all hours may be self-study

Mandated topics

Appropriate Professional Boundaries — 3 h3 hours of appropriate-professional-boundaries coursework in each 3-year registration period starting on/after April 1, 2023; counts toward the 36. NY does not mandate a separate minimum number of ethics hours for LMFTs (law/ethics content is acceptable subject matter).

Home study: Self-study may not exceed 12 hours in any three-year registration period (or one-third of the hours for a period other than 36 months); interactive online courses do not count as self-study.

Board notes: 36 hours per triennial registration period (requirement phased in from January 1, 2017) from NYSED-approved providers. Exempt from CE during the initial three-year registration period after licensure, with pro-rating that may apply to the second period. No mandatory live/in-person hours.

op.nysed.gov ↗op.nysed.gov ↗

View full LMFT requirements →

Confirm with board

New York

Licensed Behavior Analyst (LBA) — NY; BCBA is the national BACB credential

Noneno general CE hours mandated

No specific live / interactive hour requirement

Mandated topics

No New York state-mandated CE topicsNY imposes no continuing-education requirement on LBAs. The entries below reflect the national BACB certification-maintenance standard, which is NOT New York law.
Ethics (BACB standard, not a NY requirement) — 4 hPart of BACB's 32 CEUs per 2-year certification cycle
Supervision (BACB standard, not a NY requirement) — 3 hRequired by BACB only for certificants who supervise; not a NY requirement

Home study: Not applicable in NY (no state CE requirement). Under the BACB standard, recorded/online ACE CEUs are broadly allowed with no state cap.

Board notes: New York licenses Licensed Behavior Analysts (LBA) under Education Law Article 167 with triennial registration, but has NO mandatory state continuing-education requirement (the LBA landing page carries no 'continuing education' link and the FAQ describes none, unlike NY's other mental-health professions). In practice, CE is driven by the national BACB standard for BCBAs: 32 CEUs per 2-year certification cycle, including at least 4 ethics CEUs and 3 supervision CEUs (the supervision CEUs apply only to those who supervise). Confirm directly with NYSED before renewal, as regulations can change.

op.nysed.gov ↗op.nysed.gov ↗bacb.com ↗

View full Licensed Behavior Analyst requirements →

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Frequently asked questions

How many CE hours do behavioral health licenses require in New York?

In New York, hour-based licenses require 36 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 York?

Yes. Social work, counseling, psychology, marriage & family therapy, and behavior-analysis credentials each have their own requirements, mandated topics, and renewal cycles in New York. This page lists each one separately.

Does New York require ethics CE?

New York requires dedicated ethics continuing education for: Licensed Behavior Analyst, Licensed Psychologist. Exact hour counts are on each license's page.

CE requirements in other states

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.