Continuing Education

Washington CE Requirements by License

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

Washington requirements at a glance

License	Profession	CE / CPD	Ethics	Live / interactive
LICSW	Social Work	32 h / 2yr	6 h	—
LMHC	Counseling	32 h / 2yr	6 h	—
Licensed Psychologist	Psychology	60 h / 3yr	4 h	—
LMFT	Marriage & Family Therapy	32 h / 2yr	6 h	—
BCBA	Behavior Analysis	32 h / 2yr	4 h	—

Requirements by license

Verified

Washington

LICSW (Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker) / LASW (Licensed Advanced Social Worker)

32hours / 2-year renewal cycle

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

Mandated topics

Professional Ethics and Law — 6 h
Professional Roles and Boundaries — 2 h
Suicide Assessment, Treatment and Management — 6 h6 hours once every six years; first training during the first full CE reporting period after initial licensure; must be from the DOH model list (RCW 43.70.442 / WAC 246-809-615)
Health Equity — 2 h2 hours once every four years (WAC 246-12-830)

Home study: No limit on distance learning (may be all online, synchronous or asynchronous; asynchronous programs must include a test of comprehension). Employer/agency-sponsored training limited to 26 hours per two-year reporting period.

Board notes: Applies to Advanced (LASW) and Independent Clinical (LICSW) Social Workers: 32 hours every two years. Associate Social Workers (LSWAA/LASWAIC) have a different requirement: 16 hours every year with 6 ethics/law per two years. DOH does not pre-approve individual CE providers. Suicide training is on a 6-year cadence and health equity on a 4-year cadence, independent of the 2-year total (WAC 246-809-600 through 246-809-650).

doh.wa.gov ↗app.leg.wa.gov ↗

View full LICSW requirements →

Verified

Washington

LMHC (Licensed Mental Health Counselor)

32hours / 2-year renewal cycle

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

Mandated topics

Professional Ethics and Law — 6 h
Professional Roles and Boundaries — 2 h
Suicide Assessment, Treatment and Management — 6 h6 hours once every six years; first training during the first full CE reporting period after initial licensure; from the DOH model list (WAC 246-809-615)
Health Equity — 2 h2 hours once every four years (WAC 246-12-830)

Home study: No limit on distance learning (may be all online; asynchronous programs must include a test of comprehension). Employer/agency-sponsored training limited to 26 hours per two-year reporting period.

Board notes: 32 hours per two-year reporting period. The 36-hour figure sometimes cited is a pre-licensure/entry requirement, not the renewal requirement. Suicide training is on a 6-year cadence and health equity on a 4-year cadence, separate from the 2-year total (WAC 246-809-600 through 246-809-650).

doh.wa.gov ↗app.leg.wa.gov ↗

View full LMHC requirements →

Verified

Washington

Licensed Psychologist

60hours / 3-year renewal cycle

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

Mandated topics

Ethics — 4 h
Health Equity — 2 h2 hours each 3-year cycle (effective Jan 1, 2024; WAC 246-12-830)
Suicide Prevention/Assessment — 6 h6 hours once every six years; must be from the DOH model list
Jurisprudence Examination — 1 h1 hour claimable per cycle; must pass the JP exam within the first CE cycle after initial licensure

Home study: No cap on self-study/online - all 60 hours may be completed online. CE earned for teaching/presenting is capped at 30 hours per 3-year cycle.

Board notes: 60 hours every three years, renewed on a 3-year cycle by birthdate. Suicide-prevention 6-hour requirement is on a separate 6-year cadence. Governed by WAC 246-924 CE rules.

doh.wa.gov ↗app.leg.wa.gov ↗

View full Licensed Psychologist requirements →

Verified

Washington

LMFT (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist)

32hours / 2-year renewal cycle

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

Mandated topics

Professional Ethics and Law — 6 h
Professional Roles and Boundaries — 2 h
Suicide Assessment, Treatment and Management — 6 h6 hours once every six years; first training during the first full CE reporting period after initial licensure; from the DOH model list (WAC 246-809-615)
Health Equity — 2 h2 hours once every four years (WAC 246-12-830)

Board notes: 32 hours per two-year reporting period (same structure as social workers and mental health counselors under WAC 246-809-600 through 246-809-650). Suicide training is on a 6-year cadence and health equity on a 4-year cadence, separate from the 2-year total.

doh.wa.gov ↗app.leg.wa.gov ↗

View full LMFT requirements →

Confirm with board

Washington

BCBA (national) / Washington Licensed Behavior Analyst (LBA)

32hours / 2-year renewal cycle

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

Mandated topics

Health Equity — 2 hWA state requirement: 2 hours per two-year reporting period, effective Jan 1, 2024 (WAC 246-805-401); this is the only WA-specific CE topic mandate
Ethics — 4 hBACB national standard (4 ethics CEUs per 2-year cycle), not a separate WA requirement
Supervision — 3 hBACB national standard for those who supervise (3 supervision CEUs per 2-year cycle); not a separate WA requirement

Home study: WA rule sets no distance-learning cap; online CE is allowed. Under BACB, CEUs may be earned online. Maintaining an active BACB (or comparable) certification that itself requires CE satisfies the WA 32-hour requirement.

Board notes: WA licenses behavior analysts through DOH (LBA and Licensed Assistant Behavior Analyst, LABA). Per WAC 246-805-401, every two years an LBA must EITHER maintain a certification (e.g., BACB) that requires CE, OR complete at least 32 hours of CE in applied behavior analysis; LABAs need 20 hours. Regardless of route, WA adds a mandatory 2 hours of health-equity CE per two-year reporting period (effective Jan 1, 2024). WA does not itself mandate ethics or supervision hours - those (4 ethics, 3 supervision-for-supervisors) come from the BACB national standard and are listed for reference. No WA suicide-training requirement for behavior analysts.

doh.wa.gov ↗app.leg.wa.gov ↗bacb.com ↗

View full BCBA requirements →

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Frequently asked questions

How many CE hours do behavioral health licenses require in Washington?

In Washington, hour-based licenses require 32 to 60 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 Washington?

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

Does Washington require ethics CE?

Washington requires dedicated ethics continuing education for: BCBA, LICSW, LMFT, LMHC, 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.