Georgia’s Composite Board treats LPCs, LCSWs, and LMFTs as a single, unified group for CE purposes, while psychologists follow their own separate rules under a different board entirely. If you’re searching for Georgia continuing education requirements, there’s genuinely current news worth knowing up front: Georgia became operationally live in the Counseling Compact on June 2, 2026, making it one of the first five states nationally where LPCs can actually use compact privileges rather than just wait for them. This guide breaks down Georgia CE requirements for LPCs, LCSWs, LMFTs, and psychologists, along with renewal logistics, approved providers, and state-specific details worth knowing before your next renewal.
Georgia Continuing Education Requirements
Georgia’s Composite Board regulates LPC, LCSW, and LMFT together, with psychologists licensed separately (Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers and Marriage and Family Therapists, n.d.; Georgia State Board of Examiners of Psychologists, n.d.).
| License Type | CE Requirements | Renewal / Special Requirements | Official Licensing Board |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) | 35 CE hours every 2 years | Minimum 5 hours ethics (must be synchronous/live). Maximum 10 hours asynchronous. Minimum 15 hours must be core content in the licensee’s specialty; up to 15 hours may be “related” content from allied fields. | Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers and Marriage and Family Therapists |
| Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) | 35 CE hours every 2 years | Same structure as LPC: 5 hours ethics (synchronous only), max 10 asynchronous, min 15 core content hours. | Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers and Marriage and Family Therapists |
| Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (LMFT) | 35 CE hours every 2 years | Same structure as LPC and LCSW. All licenses expire September 30 of even-numbered years. | Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers and Marriage and Family Therapists |
| Licensed Psychologist (PhD / PsyD) | 40 CE hours every 2 years | Minimum 6 hours ethics (in-person or synchronous webinar only). Renewal cycle runs January 1 of odd years through December 31 of the following even year. Simplified to 3 CE categories as of a 2023 rule change. | Georgia State Board of Examiners of Psychologists |
Clinical Note: Georgia’s Composite Board treats LPC, LCSW, and LMFT identically, which simplifies things if you hold more than one — but note that “related hours” from allied professions only count up to 15 of your 35 hours, and ethics hours specifically cannot be earned asynchronously, a restriction that trips up clinicians used to states that allow all-online renewal.
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Georgia License Renewal Requirements
All three Composite Board licenses share the same renewal cycle and portal, while psychology renews separately.
LPC License Renewal
Administered by the Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers and Marriage and Family Therapists. All licenses expire September 30 of even-numbered years, with renewal windows opening July 1 and a late renewal period running October 1 through November 15. The standard renewal fee is $100; missing the deadline adds a $150 late fee, and failure to renew within the specified grace period can result in suspension. Renewal is processed exclusively through the GOALS online portal — the Board no longer accepts paper applications and returns any that are submitted. Notably, CE Broker is not currently required for Composite Board licensees (LPC, APC, LCSW, LMSW, MFT, AMFT), despite CE Broker’s broader integration into Georgia’s licensing systems since 2025 — confirm current status directly with the Board, since this could change.
LCSW License Renewal
Administered by the same Composite Board, portal, and September 30 deadline as LPC. Unlike LPC, Georgia’s social work-specific guidance (via NASW Georgia) indicates LCSWs and other social work licensees are required to use CE Broker as part of renewal — a genuine split within the same Composite Board depending on which specific license you hold.
LMFT License Renewal
Also administered by the same Composite Board, portal, and September 30 deadline as LPC and LCSW, with the same $100 renewal fee and $150 late fee structure.
Psychologist License Renewal
Administered by the separate Georgia State Board of Examiners of Psychologists, on its own cycle running January 1 of odd years through December 31 of the following even year — a notably different rhythm than the Composite Board’s September 30 deadline. The Board simplified its CE structure to 3 categories as part of a 2023 rule change.
Georgia Approved CE Providers
Whether you’re looking for Georgia online continuing education or in-person Georgia continuing education courses, Georgia recognizes a mix of national accreditors and long-standing state associations:
| Accreditor / Association | Who It’s For | Recognized For |
|---|---|---|
| National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) | LPCs | Widely accepted for LPC renewal |
| Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) / NASW | LCSWs | Accepted for LCSW renewal; NASW Georgia maintains a dedicated CE Broker resource center to help members navigate reporting |
| APA-approved sponsors | Licensed Psychologists | The standard for psychologist CE in Georgia |
| Licensed Professional Counselors Association of Georgia (LPCA) | LPCs | An NBCC-Approved Continuing Education Provider in its own right (ACEP No. 6762); recognized nationally as an Outstanding State Chapter Association by AMHCA |
| Georgia Psychological Association (GPA) | Licensed Psychologists | State-level CE, including recorded annual meeting sessions and updates on Board rule changes |
| NASW Georgia Chapter | LCSWs | State-level CE and a dedicated CE Broker resource center for social workers |
| Georgia Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (GAMFT) | LMFTs | State division of AAMFT, supporting Georgia’s marriage and family therapists with professional standards and advocacy |
Any course accepted by the Georgia Composite Board generally applies across LPC, LCSW, and LMFT credentials alike, since all three share the same rules — a genuine convenience if you’re dual-credentialed. For a broader look at how CE approval works across all license types and states, see our full guide to continuing education for mental health professionals.
Georgia-Specific Considerations
A few details worth knowing beyond the base CE requirements:
Georgia Just Went Live in the Counseling Compact
On June 2, 2026, Georgia became operationally live in the Counseling Compact — the fifth state able to actually issue and receive privileges, not just have enacted the compact on paper. Only the LPC credential is eligible; Associate Professional Counselors, LMFTs, LCSWs, and other non-LPC licenses cannot use the Compact through Georgia. Georgia’s pathway is also structurally different from other live states: LPCs must first apply through Georgia’s own online licensing system (GOALS) to be deemed Compact-eligible before applying for a privilege through CompactConnect, rather than starting directly in CompactConnect as in most other live states. The current privilege fee is approximately $130.
CE Broker Requirements Differ by License Within the Same Board
Despite LPC, LCSW, and LMFT sharing the same Composite Board and CE rules, CE Broker reporting requirements currently differ: LPCs and other Composite Board counseling/MFT licensees are not required to use CE Broker, while Georgia’s social work-specific guidance indicates LCSWs are. This is a genuinely easy detail to get backwards if you’re assuming uniform tracking requirements across a “one board, one rule” structure.
Inactive Status Comes With Real Trade-offs
Georgia allows Professional Counselors, Social Workers, and Marriage and Family Therapists (but not Associate-level licensees) to apply for inactive status, which exempts the licensee from biennial renewal and CE requirements — but also prohibits practicing or using the professional title while inactive. Reactivating requires meeting the Board’s specific reinstatement requirements, so inactive status is a genuine pause, not a workaround for maintaining CE currency while stepping back from practice.
New Licensee vs. Renewing Licensee
A few distinctions worth knowing depending on where you are in your Georgia licensure timeline:
- Associate-level licensees (APC, AMFT) are not eligible for inactive status the way fully licensed LPCs, LCSWs, and LMFTs are — inactive status is reserved for fully independent licensees.
- Licenses lapsed, revoked, or inactive for more than 5 years face a substantially higher reinstatement fee — $350 plus a $10 processing fee — compared to standard renewal, making it worth avoiding an extended lapse if at all possible.
- Supervisors overseeing Associate-level counselors and therapists take on real added responsibility, and having a clear clinical supervision agreement in place from the outset helps define expectations for both parties throughout the associate’s path to full licensure.
Frequently Asked Questions: Georgia Continuing Education Requirements
Below are the practical questions clinicians ask when completing, documenting, and reporting continuing education units (CEUs) to satisfy state board regulations and maintain active licensure in Georgia.
How many CE hours does an LPC need in Georgia?
35 hours every two years, including a minimum of 5 hours ethics (live/synchronous only) and at least 15 hours of core content specific to your specialty.
Does Georgia require ethics hours for every license type?
Yes — LPCs, LCSWs, and LMFTs each need a minimum of 5 ethics hours (synchronous only), and psychologists need a minimum of 6 ethics hours (in-person or synchronous webinar only).
Can Georgia clinicians complete all their CE online?
Not entirely for Composite Board licensees — a maximum of 10 of the 35 hours may be asynchronous, and ethics hours specifically must be live or synchronous regardless of format.
Where can I find Georgia continuing education courses?
Start with NBCC, ASWB, or APA depending on your license type, or Georgia-specific organizations like LPCA of Georgia (itself an NBCC-approved provider), the Georgia Psychological Association, NASW Georgia Chapter, or GAMFT.
Is Georgia part of any licensure compacts?
Yes, and prominently so — Georgia became operationally live in the Counseling Compact on June 2, 2026, one of only five states where LPCs can currently use compact privileges. Only the LPC credential qualifies; LMFTs, LCSWs, and associate-level licenses are not eligible through Georgia’s Composite Board.
CE Tracker Templates for Mental Health Professionals
Even with a clear picture of your state’s requirements, actually staying on top of continuing education across a full renewal cycle is a different challenge — tracking which hours you’ve completed, which mandated categories still need attention, where you’ve saved your certificates, and when your actual deadline hits. A CE tracker template solves this by giving you one place to log activities as you complete them, monitor progress against your specific requirements, and pull everything together when it’s time to submit your renewal — rather than reconstructing two years of CE history in a panic the week before your license expires.
Get started with the free CE Tracker Template to organize your current renewal cycle, or manage your complete CE renewal process from planning through submission with this comprehensive CE Tracker Template (pictured above).
Final Thoughts on Georgia CE Requirements
Georgia’s Composite Board structure is genuinely convenient for dual-credentialed clinicians, but the live Counseling Compact status is the real headline here — Georgia LPCs now have working, usable access to multi-state practice privileges, not just a future promise, and the state’s unique GOALS-first application pathway is worth understanding before assuming the process mirrors what other live states describe.
The CE Broker split between counseling/MFT licensees and social workers is a small but genuinely easy detail to get wrong given how unified the Composite Board otherwise treats these three professions — worth a direct confirmation with the Board rather than assuming your colleague’s tracking requirements match your own.
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References
- Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers and Marriage and Family Therapists. (n.d.). Board information. Resource
- Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers and Marriage and Family Therapists. (n.d.). Fee schedule. Resource
- Counseling Accreditation. (2026). Is Georgia in the Counseling Compact? Resource
- Licensed Professional Counselors Association of Georgia. (n.d.). About us. Resource
- NASW Georgia Chapter. (n.d.). Home. Resource
- Georgia Psychological Association. (n.d.). Home. Resource