Continuing-education / CPD renewal requirements for behavioral and mental health licenses in North Carolina — hours or CPD model per cycle, mandated topics, live/interactive rules, and home-study limits. Pick a license for the full breakdown.
VerifiedNorth Carolina
LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker)
40hours / 2-year renewal cycle
20 live / interactive hours required
Mandated topics
Home study: Distance learning capped at 20 of the 40 hours (one-half); distance-learning activities must be pre-approved by ASWB-ACE or NASW-NC. At least 20 hours must therefore be attended/live. Live/synchronous webinars with interactive dialogue count as 'attended' (not distance learning).
Board notes: Standard cycle 40 hrs/4 ethics. LCSWA and other sub-cycles pro-rate: 1-year renewal = 20 hrs/2 ethics; 6-month = 10 hrs/1 ethics. Total hours pro-rate monthly; ethics adjusts by quarter (min 1 ethics hr for any period up to 6 months). No carryover of unused hours between cycles.
View full LCSW requirements → VerifiedNorth Carolina
LCMHC (Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor)
40hours / 2-year renewal cycle
No live / interactive hours required — all hours may be self-study
Mandated topics
- Ethics — 3 h
- Clinical supervision training (LCMHC Supervisors only) — 10 hOnly for those holding/seeking LCMHC-S supervisor status; counts within the 40 hours, not additional.
Home study: No specific live-vs-home-study cap stated; NBCC/ACEP and board-approved providers accepted. Publication/presentation/leadership activities capped at 5-10 hours; supervision-as-learner capped at 10 hours.
Board notes: Cycle runs July 1 to the second June 30 (2 yrs). Minimum 3 ethics contact hours. The Board's Jurisprudence 'no-fail' exam (taken after Jan 1 of the renewal year) counts as 5 ethics contact hours. Newly licensed with an initial period under 2 years need only 30 hours. LCMHC Supervisors must document 10 hours of clinical-supervision CE within the 40.
View full LCMHC requirements → VerifiedNorth Carolina
Licensed Psychologist / Licensed Psychological Associate
24hours / 2-year renewal cycle
No live / interactive hours required — all hours may be self-study
Mandated topics
- Ethics in the professional practice of psychology — 3 hMust be Category A; 'ethics' (or derivative) must appear in the program title.
- Online Ethics Refresher (Board self-study module) — 1 hMandatory each cycle before the Oct 1 renewal deadline; $50; counts as 1 hour of Category A CE per cycle.
Home study: At least 15 of 24 hours must be Category A (approved sponsor); the remaining 9 may be Category A or Category B. Both Category A and B allow in-person, presentations, and online/correspondence courses. Category B maximums: up to 3 hrs Board-required supervision, up to 9 hrs approved doctoral coursework, up to 1 hr Board ethics-refresher exam.
Board notes: 24 hrs biennial (21 NCAC 54 .2104). All CE must be submitted through CE Broker (the Board's official system); mailed/faxed/hand-delivered documentation is not accepted and CE must be submitted before renewing. Online Ethics Refresher required each renewal in addition to the 3 substantive ethics hours (but it does supply 1 Category A CE hour). No live/interactive mandate.
View full Psychologist requirements → VerifiedNorth Carolina
LMFT (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist)
20hours / 1-year renewal cycle
No live / interactive hours required — all hours may be self-study
Mandated topics
Home study: No cap; both live and online courses are accepted with no restriction on the number of hours obtained online or in person. Board does not pre-approve courses.
Board notes: Renewal is ANNUAL (cycle July 1 - June 30): 20 CE hours each year with at least 3 hours in MFT Ethics, obtained subsequent to the prior renewal. CE hours may not be carried forward between renewal periods. Graduate coursework counts (3 sem-hr course = 45 contact hrs; 1 sem-hr = 15; 1 quarter-hr = 10). The Board does not pre-approve courses - the licensee uses professional judgment.
View full LMFT requirements → VerifiedNorth Carolina
Licensed Behavior Analyst (LBA) / BCBA (national BACB standard)
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 for BCBAs who supervise trainees/RBTs (BACB supervision CEU requirement).
Home study: No state cap. CE follows BACB rules, which broadly allow recorded/online (learning) CEUs; NC imposes no additional format cap.
Board notes: NC licenses behavior analysts through the NC Behavior Analyst Licensure Board (NCBALB). Per statute (N.C.G.S. 90-739) renewal is every 2 years and requires (1) evidence of active certification by the certifying entity (BACB) and (2) proof of completing any CE required by that entity - the state imposes NO separate CE requirement of its own. Effective CE therefore equals the BACB baseline: 32 CEUs per 2-year cycle, including 4 ethics CEUs, plus 3 supervision CEUs for certificants who supervise.
View full Licensed Behavior Analyst requirements → How many CE hours do behavioral health licenses require in North Carolina?
In North Carolina, 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 North Carolina?
Yes. Social work, counseling, psychology, marriage & family therapy, and behavior-analysis credentials each have their own requirements, mandated topics, and renewal cycles in North Carolina. This page lists each one separately.
Does North Carolina require ethics CE?
North Carolina requires dedicated ethics continuing education for: LCMHC, LCSW, LMFT, Licensed Behavior Analyst, 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.