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Continuing Education

Texas CE Requirements by License

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

Texas requirements at a glance
LicenseProfessionCE / CPDEthicsLive / interactive
LCSWSocial Work30 h / 2yr6 h—
LPCCounseling24 h / 2yr6 h—
Licensed PsychologistPsychology40 h / 2yr6 h—
LMFTMarriage & Family Therapy30 h / 2yr6 h—
BCBABehavior Analysis32 h / 2yr4 h—
Requirements by license
Verified

Texas

LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker)
30hours / 2-year renewal cycle
No live / interactive hours required — all hours may be self-study
Mandated topics
  • Ethics — 6 h
  • Cultural Competency / Distinct Population Competency — 3 hdesigned to ensure competency when providing services to a distinct population
  • Supervision — 6 honly required to maintain board-approved supervisor status; counts toward the 30 total
  • Human Trafficking Prevention — 1 hHHSC-approved course required as a renewal condition under Occ. Code Ch. 116 (HB 2059) for licensees providing direct patient care; typically counts as ~1 CE hour. Not itemized on the BHEC CE page.

Home study: No explicit cap on home/self-study, but effective Jan 1, 2024 at least half (15 of 30 hours) must be obtained from a provider listed in 22 TAC 781.501 (listed providers may deliver online/async, so this is a provider-type rule, not a live-hours rule).

Board notes: Applies to LBSW, LMSW and LCSW (same 30-hour rule). Renews biennially by last day of birth month; self-report with attestation, retain proof for the audit period. Administered by the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council (BHEC) / Texas State Board of Social Worker Examiners. CE requirements in 22 TAC 781.216; approved-provider list in 22 TAC 781.501.

bhec.texas.gov ↗law.cornell.edu ↗statutes.capitol.texas.gov ↗
View full LCSW requirements →
Verified

Texas

LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor)
24hours / 2-year renewal cycle
No live / interactive hours required — all hours may be self-study
Mandated topics
  • Ethics — 6 hpassing the required jurisprudence exam each renewal may be claimed as 1 hour of ethics credit
  • Cultural Diversity / Distinct Populations Competency — 3 h
  • Supervision — 6 honly required for an LPC Supervisor to maintain supervisor status; counts toward the 24 total
  • Human Trafficking Prevention — 1 hHHSC-approved course required as a renewal condition under Occ. Code Ch. 116 (HB 2059) for licensees providing direct patient care; typically counts as ~1 CE hour. Not itemized on the BHEC CE page.

Home study: No explicit cap on home/self-study, but effective Jan 1, 2024 at least half (12 of 24 hours) must be obtained from a provider listed in 22 TAC 681.140(f) (listed providers may deliver online/async, so this is a provider-type rule, not a live-hours rule).

Board notes: Renews biennially under BHEC / Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors. Must pass the jurisprudence exam each renewal period (claimable as 1 ethics hour). At least half of the 24 hours must come from a board-listed provider type. CE rule: 22 TAC 681.140.

bhec.texas.gov ↗law.cornell.edu ↗statutes.capitol.texas.gov ↗
View full LPC requirements →
Verified

Texas

Licensed Psychologist
40hours / 2-year renewal cycle
No live / interactive hours required — all hours may be self-study
Mandated topics
  • Ethics — 6 h
  • Cultural Diversity / Competency — 6 h
  • Human Trafficking Prevention — 1 hApproved human-trafficking prevention training required each renewal (Occ. Code Ch. 116); a maximum of 1 hour of professional-development credit may be claimed toward the 40.

Home study: No cap on formal home-study/async CE from qualifying provider categories. Only informal, uncertified self-study (e.g., reading articles with no completion certificate) is excluded from counting. At least 50% of hours must come from defined qualifying provider categories.

Board notes: Administered by BHEC / Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists. The Council no longer pre-approves courses or providers; at least 50% of the 40 hours must come from defined provider categories (associations, accredited institutions, government entities, hospitals, etc.). Up to 10 unused hours may carry forward to the next renewal period. Retain documentation 3 years. Rule: 22 TAC 463.35.

bhec.texas.gov ↗law.cornell.edu ↗statutes.capitol.texas.gov ↗
View full Licensed Psychologist requirements →
Verified

Texas

LMFT (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist)
30hours / 2-year renewal cycle
No live / interactive hours required — all hours may be self-study
Mandated topics
  • Ethics — 6 h
  • Cultural Competency / Distinct Population — 3 h
  • Technology-Assisted Services / Telehealth — 2 hrequired only if providing technology-assisted (telehealth) services; counts toward the 30 total
  • Supervision — 6 honly required to maintain supervisor status; 1 hour of ethics CE may count toward it; counts toward the 30 total
  • Human Trafficking Prevention — 1 hHHSC-approved course required as a renewal condition under Occ. Code Ch. 116 (HB 2059) for licensees providing direct patient care; typically counts as ~1 CE hour. Not itemized on the BHEC CE page.

Home study: No explicit cap on home/self-study, but effective Jan 1, 2024 at least half (15 of 30 hours) must come from a provider listed in 22 TAC 801.261(f) (listed providers may deliver online/async, so this is a provider-type rule, not a live-hours rule).

Board notes: Renews biennially under BHEC / Texas State Board of Examiners of Marriage and Family Therapists. Supervisors must pass the jurisprudence exam each renewal period. At least 15 of the 30 hours must come from a board-listed provider type. CE rule: 22 TAC 801.261.

bhec.texas.gov ↗law.cornell.edu ↗statutes.capitol.texas.gov ↗
View full LMFT requirements →
Confirm with board

Texas

BCBA (national) / Texas Licensed Behavior Analyst (LBA)
32hours / 2-year renewal cycle
No live / interactive hours required — all hours may be self-study
Mandated topics
  • Ethics — 4 hBACB standard
  • Supervision — 3 hBACB standard; required only for certificants who supervise trainees or provide supervision

Home study: No state cap. BACB allows recorded/online ACE CEUs broadly; no live/interactive minimum.

Board notes: Texas licenses behavior analysts (LBA) and assistant behavior analysts through the Texas Dept. of Licensing & Regulation (TDLR). TDLR sets NO independent CE hour rule: license holders must meet the CE requirements of their underlying BACB (or QABA) certification, verified via the certifying board. Operative standard is therefore the BACB baseline: 32 CEUs per 2-year cycle, including 4 ethics CEUs and (for supervisors) 3 supervision CEUs. Behavior analysts are health professions under Occ. Code Title 3 (Ch. 506), so those providing direct patient care may also be subject to the Occ. Code Ch. 116 human-trafficking training; this is not listed among the BACB CE requirements on the TDLR CE page (verify with TDLR).

tdlr.texas.gov ↗bacb.com ↗statutes.capitol.texas.gov ↗
View full BCBA requirements →

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Frequently asked questions
How many CE hours do behavioral health licenses require in Texas?

In Texas, hour-based licenses require 24 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 Texas?

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

Does Texas require ethics CE?

Texas requires dedicated ethics continuing education for: BCBA, LCSW, LMFT, LPC, Licensed Psychologist. Exact hour counts are on each license's page.

CE requirements in other states
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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.