Michigan Continuing Education Requirements for Mental Health Professionals

Michigan is genuinely unlike most other states on the specific question of counselor and marriage and family therapist CE — there simply isn’t a general hour requirement for either license. That’s not an oversight or an outdated data point; it’s the current rule, confirmed by multiple current sources including LARA’s own materials.

The biggest thing to watch for in Michigan is exactly that gap between old and new information. Several CE-provider websites still list a 30-hour requirement for LPCs and LMFTs that hasn’t been accurate for a while. What LPCs and LMFTs do need — implicit bias and human trafficking training — is real and mandatory, but it’s a fundamentally different structure than a standard hour-based requirement, and social workers and psychologists in the same state follow yet another structure entirely.

This guide explains the current Michigan continuing education requirements for LPCs, LMSWs, LMFTs, and psychologists, including required CE hours, ethics requirements, renewal deadlines, approved providers, and other Michigan-specific rules to help you stay compliant.

Michigan Continuing Education Requirements

Michigan is a genuine outlier worth calling out directly: counselors and marriage and family therapists here have no general continuing education hour requirement at all — only targeted mandates around implicit bias and human trafficking (Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, n.d.).

License Type	CE Requirements	Renewal / Special Requirements	Official Licensing Board
Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)	No general CE hour requirement	Renews every 3 years. Must complete 1 hour of implicit bias training for each year of the license cycle (3 hours total per cycle) and a one-time human trafficking awareness training.	Michigan Board of Counseling
Licensed Master’s Social Worker (LMSW)	45 CE hours every 3 years	Confirm current content-area breakdown directly with the Board.	Michigan Board of Social Work
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (LMFT)	No general CE hour requirement	Same structure as LPC: 1 hour implicit bias training per year of the license cycle, plus a one-time human trafficking awareness training before first renewal.	Michigan Board of Marriage and Family Therapy
Licensed Psychologist (PhD / PsyD)	30 CE hours every 2 years	Minimum 3 hours ethics, 2 hours pain and symptom management. Plus 1 hour implicit bias training (in addition to the 30-hour total) and a one-time human trafficking awareness training. No more than 12 hours may be earned in any single 24-hour period.	Michigan Board of Psychology

Clinical Note: Don’t take this one at face value from secondary sources — several CE-provider sites list a “30 hours” figure for Michigan LPCs and LMFTs that appears to be outdated. Multiple current, consistent sources (including the state’s own counseling FAQ) confirm Michigan currently has no general CE hour mandate for these two licenses, just the implicit bias and human trafficking requirements. This is unusual enough that it’s worth double-checking directly with LARA before assuming either the old or new figure applies to your specific renewal.

Michigan License Renewal Requirements

All Michigan licensing boards fall under LARA and use the same MiPLUS online renewal portal, though fees, cycle lengths, and specific deadlines differ by profession.

LPC License Renewal

Administered by the Michigan Board of Counseling. Renewal is every 3 years, tied to your individual license issuance date rather than one fixed statewide deadline. The current renewal fee is $198.45. LARA mails renewal notices roughly 90 days before expiration, and there’s a 60-day grace period after expiration with late fees applying; if you miss that window entirely, you’ll need to go through relicensure rather than a standard renewal. Limited Licensed Professional Counselors (LLPC) renew annually and may renew up to 10 times, giving a maximum of 10 years to complete full LPC requirements.

LMSW License Renewal

Administered by the separate Michigan Board of Social Work. Renewal is also every 3 years. Confirm the current full-license renewal fee directly with LARA, since published figures for the associate-level (Limited LMSW) license don’t necessarily reflect the full LMSW fee. Limited LMSW (LLMSW) associate licenses renew annually at $27.50 and may be renewed up to 6 times while accumulating supervised hours toward full licensure.

LMFT License Renewal

Administered by the separate Michigan Board of Marriage and Family Therapy, following a structure similar to LPC — renewal tied to individual issuance date rather than a fixed statewide deadline, with the same implicit bias and human trafficking requirements in place of a general CE hour mandate.

Psychologist License Renewal

Administered by the separate Michigan Board of Psychology, on a 2-year cycle — notably shorter than the 3-year cycle shared by LPC, LMSW, and LMFT in this state. The associate-level Limited License Psychologist (LLP) renews at $143.40 for a two-year term; confirm the current full Licensed Psychologist renewal fee directly with LARA. Implicit bias training applies to renewals submitted after June 1, 2021, and is required in addition to (not counted within) the standard 30-hour CE total.

Michigan Approved CE Providers

Whether you’re looking for Michigan online continuing education or in-person Michigan continuing education courses, Michigan recognizes CE from national accreditors alongside a solid roster of state associations:

Accreditor / Association	Who It’s For	Recognized For
National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)	LPCs	Widely accepted, though note LPC CE isn’t hour-mandated the way it is in most states
Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)	LMSWs	Accepted for LMSW’s genuine 45-hour requirement
APA-approved sponsors	Licensed Psychologists	The standard for psychologist CE in Michigan
Michigan Counseling Association (MCA)	LPCs	State-level networking, professional development, and an annual conference for Michigan counselors
Michigan Mental Health Counselors Association (MMHCA)	LPCs	Workshops and seminars on trauma-informed care, cultural competency, and ethics specific to Michigan mental health counselors
Michigan Psychological Association (MPA)	Licensed Psychologists	State-level advocacy and continuing education for Michigan psychologists
NASW Michigan Chapter	LMSWs	State-level CE and advocacy for Michigan social workers
Michigan Association of Psychology Professionals (MAPP)	Licensed Psychologists	Additional state-level resource for psychology professionals in Michigan

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.

Michigan-Specific Considerations

A few details worth knowing beyond the base CE requirements:

Michigan’s “No CE” Structure for LPC and LMFT Is Genuinely Current, Not a Loophole

It’s worth stating plainly: this isn’t a temporary gap or an error in reporting. Multiple current sources, including materials tied directly to LARA, confirm Michigan LPCs and LMFTs currently have no general continuing education hour mandate. What functions in its place — mandatory implicit bias and human trafficking training — is real and enforceable, but it’s a fundamentally different compliance structure than a standard hour count, and it’s worth explaining this clearly to colleagues or supervisees who assume Michigan works like most other states.

Implicit Bias and Human Trafficking Requirements Apply Broadly, With Different Nuances by Profession

Every license covered here has some version of the implicit bias and human trafficking mandates, but the specifics differ: psychologists complete implicit bias training in addition to their 30-hour CE total, while LPCs and LMFTs complete it in place of a broader hour requirement. Social workers face human trafficking training as a renewal certification requirement, tied to specific rule effective dates (2021 for the initial rollout, with implicit bias phased in for renewals after June 1, 2022 for at least some license tiers).

Psychology’s Renewal Cycle Doesn’t Match the Other Three Professions

Michigan psychologists renew every 2 years, while LPC, LMSW, and LMFT all renew every 3 years. A psychologist who also holds a Michigan LPC or LMFT is tracking two structurally different cycles, not just different content requirements.

New Licensee vs. Renewing Licensee

A few distinctions worth knowing depending on where you are in your Michigan licensure timeline:

• Limited Licensed Professional Counselors (LLPC) renew annually and may renew up to 10 times — a genuinely long runway compared to some states, giving up to 10 years to complete the supervised experience needed for full LPC licensure.
• Limited LMSW (LLMSW) associate licensees renew annually at $27.50 and may renew up to 6 times while accumulating supervised hours toward full LMSW licensure.
• New LMFTs must complete the one-time human trafficking awareness training before their first renewal specifically, separate from the ongoing per-year implicit bias requirement that continues each subsequent cycle.
• Supervisors overseeing limited-license associates take on real responsibility under Michigan’s tiered structure, and having a clear clinical supervision agreement in place from the outset helps define expectations for both parties.

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 Michigan CE Requirements

Michigan is one of the clearest examples in this guide of why it’s worth going to primary or clearly current sources rather than trusting the first search result — the “no general CE requirement” reality for LPCs and LMFTs is genuinely easy to miss if you’re relying on an older or less careful source, and getting it wrong in either direction (assuming hours are required when they’re not, or assuming there’s no requirement at all when the implicit bias and human trafficking mandates still apply) creates real compliance risk.

The mismatched renewal cycles between psychology (2 years) and the other three professions (3 years) is also worth internalizing early if you’re dual-licensed in Michigan, since it’s easy to assume all four professions share the same rhythm.

References

• Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. (n.d.). License renewal fees. Resource
• Michigan Psychologists. (n.d.). Guide to Michigan master’s limited psychologist licensing (LLP). Resource
• Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. (n.d.). Limited master’s social work licensing guide. Resource
• Michigan Counseling Association. (n.d.). Home. Resource
• Michigan Mental Health Counselors Association. (n.d.). Home. Resource
• Michigan Psychological Association. (n.d.). Home. Resource