Continuing-education / CPD renewal requirements for behavioral and mental health licenses in Virginia — hours or CPD model per cycle, mandated topics, live/interactive rules, and home-study limits. Pick a license for the full breakdown.
VerifiedVirginia
LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker)
30hours / 2-year renewal cycle
No live / interactive hours required — all hours may be self-study
Mandated topics
- Ethics / Standards of Practice / Laws Governing Social Work in Virginia — 6 hMinimum 6 of the 30 hours must pertain to ethics, standards of practice for behavioral health professions, or laws governing social work in Virginia (18VAC140-20-107).
Home study: Min 20 hours in Category I (formally organized learning: accredited courses, ASWB/NASW/CSWE-approved programs, workshops); max 10 hours in Category II (individual professional activities including self-study, reading, audio/video, publications, teaching preparation).
Board notes: Biennial cycle; LCSWs renew by June 30 of even years (18VAC140-20-105/107). No face-to-face or real-time interactive hours are mandated. Up to 2 hours may be earned via uncompensated volunteer social work service (3 volunteer hours = 1 CE hour). Board may grant extensions/exemptions for good cause; documentation retained per board rules.
View full LCSW requirements → VerifiedVirginia
LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor)
20hours / 1-year renewal cycle
No live / interactive hours required — all hours may be self-study
Mandated topics
- Ethics — 2 hMinimum 2 of the 20 hours in courses emphasizing ethics, standards of practice, or laws governing behavioral science professions in Virginia (18VAC115-20-106).
Home study: No explicit cap; home study permitted as part of formally organized learning activities.
Board notes: Annual renewal cycle (20 hours per year, not biennial). No face-to-face or real-time interactive hours mandated. Up to 2 of the 20 hours may be satisfied via uncompensated counseling to low-income clients at a local health department or free clinic (3 volunteer hours = 1 CE hour). Counselors licensed by examination are exempt from CE for their first renewal after initial licensure.
View full LPC requirements → VerifiedVirginia
Licensed Psychologist (Clinical/Applied/School)
14hours / 1-year renewal cycle
6 live / interactive hours required
Mandated topics
- Ethics, Laws & Regulations — 1.5 hMinimum 1.5 of the 14 hours in courses emphasizing ethics, laws, and regulations (18VAC125-20-121).
Home study: At least 6 of the 14 hours must be earned in face-to-face or real-time interactive educational experiences; the remaining ~8 hours may be home/self-study. No separate numeric cap on home study. Up to 7 excess hours may carry forward to the next annual renewal.
Board notes: Annual renewal (14 hours/year, not biennial). At least 6 hours must be face-to-face or real-time interactive (18VAC125-20-121). Up to 2 hours may be earned via uncompensated volunteer psychological services (3 volunteer hours = 1 CE hour); up to 4 hours for presentations/publications and up to 10 hours for graduate-level courses per cycle.
View full Licensed Psychologist requirements → VerifiedVirginia
LMFT (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist)
20hours / 1-year renewal cycle
No live / interactive hours required — all hours may be self-study
Mandated topics
- Ethics, Standards of Practice, or Laws Governing Behavioral Science Professions in Virginia — 2 hMinimum 2 of the 20 hours per annual renewal (18VAC115-50-96).
Home study: No cap on home study; permitted as an approved activity type without a proportional limit. Documentation requires source material, content summary, and signed affidavit (18VAC115-50-96).
Board notes: Annual renewal cycle: 20 hours of continuing competency per annual renewal with a minimum of 2 ethics hours per year (18VAC115-50-95/96). No face-to-face or real-time interactive hours mandated. Up to 2 of the 20 hours may be satisfied via uncompensated counseling to low-income clients at a local health department or free clinic (3 volunteer hours = 1 CE hour). MFTs licensed by examination are exempt from CE for the first renewal after initial licensure.
View full LMFT requirements → VerifiedVirginia
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 h4 of the 32 hours must relate to ethics in the practice of behavior analysis (18VAC85-150-100(A)).
- Supervision — 3 hNot required by Virginia's LBA regulation. This is a BACB national certification requirement (3 supervision CEUs per 2-yr cycle) applicable only to certificants who supervise trainees; retain if maintaining BCBA certification.
Home study: No face-to-face requirement in the VA regulation; recorded/online CEUs from BACB-recognized (ACE) sponsors are broadly allowed. Up to 2 hours may come from uncompensated behavior-analysis services to low-income individuals (3 volunteer hours = 1 CE hour).
Board notes: Virginia licenses behavior analysts (LBA) through the Board of Medicine and codifies 32 hours per biennium with 4 ethics hours in its own regulation (18VAC85-150-100), matching the BACB baseline. CE must be approved/documented by a BACB-recognized sponsor. First biennial renewal after initial VA licensure is exempt (Section B); records retained 4 years (Section C). The BACB's additional 3-CEU supervision requirement for supervisors is a certification-level rule, not a separate VA license mandate.
View full Licensed Behavior Analyst requirements → How many CE hours do behavioral health licenses require in Virginia?
In Virginia, hour-based licenses require 14 to 32 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 Virginia?
Yes. Social work, counseling, psychology, marriage & family therapy, and behavior-analysis credentials each have their own requirements, mandated topics, and renewal cycles in Virginia. This page lists each one separately.
Does Virginia require ethics CE?
Virginia 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.