New Jersey shares a genuinely consistent set of mandated content across counseling, marriage and family therapy, and social work — ethics, cultural competence, and a specific opioid education requirement all appear across multiple boards. Psychology, regulated separately, follows an entirely different content mandate built around domestic violence education instead.
The biggest thing to watch for in New Jersey is the renewal calendar mismatch: LPC, LMFT, and social work licenses all expire November 30 of even-numbered years, while psychology runs on its own separate schedule ending June 30 of odd-numbered years. If you’re dual-licensed across those two groups, you’re tracking genuinely different deadlines, not variations on the same one.
This guide explains the current New Jersey continuing education requirements for LPCs, LCSWs, LMFTs, and psychologists, including required CE hours, ethics requirements, renewal deadlines, approved providers, and other New Jersey-specific rules to help you stay compliant.
New Jersey Continuing Education Requirements
New Jersey requires a shared set of content areas — ethics, cultural competence, and opioid-related education — across counseling, marriage and family therapy, and social work licenses, with psychology following its own distinct set of mandated topics (New Jersey Professional Counselor Examiners Committee, n.d.; New Jersey State Board of Marriage and Family Therapy Examiners, n.d.; New Jersey State Board of Social Work Examiners, n.d.; New Jersey State Board of Psychological Examiners, n.d.).
| License Type | CE Requirements | Renewal / Special Requirements | Official Licensing Board |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) | 40 CE hours every 2 years | Minimum 5 hours ethics, 3 hours social and cultural competence, 1 hour opioid drugs (risks, signs of abuse, addiction, diversion). First renewal cycle is exempt. | New Jersey Professional Counselor Examiners Committee |
| Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) | 40 CE hours every 2 years | Minimum 5 hours ethics, 3 hours cultural competence. At least 20 of the 40 hours must be directly related to clinical practice. Lower-tier LSW license requires 30 hours. | New Jersey State Board of Social Work Examiners |
| Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (LMFT) | 40 CE hours every 2 years | Minimum 5 hours ethics, 3 hours cultural competence, 1 hour opioid-related content — same structure as LPC above. | New Jersey State Board of Marriage and Family Therapy Examiners |
| Licensed Psychologist (PhD / PsyD) | 40 CE hours every 2 years | Minimum 4 hours domestic violence-related content (intimate partner violence, elder abuse, child abuse), 1 hour opioid education. Up to 30 hours may be completed via home study. | New Jersey State Board of Psychological Examiners |
Clinical Note: New Jersey’s 1-hour opioid education requirement applies to LPC, LMFT, and psychology alike, but the other mandated content differs meaningfully by profession — counselors and MFTs need cultural competence hours, while psychologists need domestic-violence-specific content instead. Don’t assume a course that satisfies one board’s mandate automatically satisfies another’s just because both licenses are in New Jersey.
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New Jersey License Renewal Requirements
LPC, LMFT, and social work licenses all share a fixed November 30 (even-numbered years) deadline, while psychology runs on its own separate schedule — a genuinely important distinction if you hold licenses across both groups.
LPC License Renewal
Administered by the New Jersey Professional Counselor Examiners Committee. Licenses expire November 30 of even-numbered years, regardless of your original issuance date. The renewal fee is $250 if renewing in the first year of the biennial cycle, or $125 if renewing in the second year. A late fee of $100 applies on top of the standard renewal fee if you renew within 30 days after expiration.
LCSW License Renewal
Administered by the separate New Jersey State Board of Social Work Examiners, sharing the same November 30 (even-numbered years) deadline as LPC. Per the Board’s own administrative code (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-14.1), fees are tiered by credential: the LCSW (clinical license) biennial renewal fee is $160, the LSW (license) biennial renewal fee is $120, and the CSW (certification) biennial renewal fee is $70. A flat $100 late renewal fee and $150 reinstatement fee apply across all three tiers.
LMFT License Renewal
Administered by the same New Jersey State Board of Marriage and Family Therapy Examiners, sharing the identical November 30 (even-numbered years) deadline and the same $250 (first year) / $125 (second year) fee structure as LPC.
Psychologist License Renewal
Administered by the separate New Jersey State Board of Psychological Examiners. Unlike the other three New Jersey licenses in this guide, psychology renewal runs on its own schedule: all licenses expire June 30 of odd-numbered years, with renewal instructions typically sent about 3 months before expiration. The renewal fee is $300. At least 20 of the 40 required CE hours must be directly related to psychology and approved by APA, ASPPB, the National Register of Health Service Psychologists, or the American Medical Association.
New Jersey Approved CE Providers
Whether you’re looking for New Jersey online continuing education or in-person New Jersey continuing education courses, New Jersey recognizes CE from national accreditors alongside genuinely active 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) | LCSWs | Accepted for LCSW renewal |
| American Psychological Association (APA) | Licensed Psychologists | One of several specifically named approval sources for the 20-hour psychology-specific CE requirement, alongside ASPPB and the National Register |
| New Jersey Counseling Association (NJCA) | LPCs | State branch of ACA, offering CE, an annual conference, and specialty divisions for New Jersey counselors |
| New Jersey Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (NJAMFT) | LMFTs | Active state advocacy organization, currently supporting legislation (S3741) to modernize New Jersey’s MFT licensure pathway |
| New Jersey Psychological Association (NJPA) | Licensed Psychologists | State-level CE and a dedicated licensure renewal resource page for New Jersey psychologists |
| NASW New Jersey Chapter | LCSWs | One of the largest NASW chapters nationally, with nearly 7,000 members and year-round CE programming |
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.
New Jersey-Specific Considerations
A few details worth knowing beyond the base CE requirements:
Psychology’s Renewal Calendar Doesn’t Match the Other Three Licenses
This is worth repeating because it’s genuinely easy to miss: LPC, LMFT, and social work licenses all expire November 30 of even-numbered years, while psychology licenses expire June 30 of odd-numbered years — a completely different month and parity. A psychologist who also holds an LPC or LMFT in New Jersey is tracking two structurally different deadlines, not a shared one.
The Opioid Education Requirement Reflects a Statewide Priority
New Jersey’s 1-hour opioid education mandate appears across LPC, LMFT, and psychology alike (with social work’s specific requirement worth confirming directly), suggesting this is a deliberate statewide public health priority rather than an isolated board rule. Given how brief the requirement is, it’s easy to overlook amid larger ethics and cultural competence totals — worth checking off early in your renewal cycle specifically.
Social Work Fees Scale by License Tier, Not a Flat Rate
New Jersey’s social work renewal fee isn’t one flat number — it scales specifically by credential level: $70 for CSW, $120 for LSW, and $160 for LCSW, all confirmed directly in the Board’s current administrative code. Earlier secondary sources sometimes blur these three tiers together into a single figure, so confirm which specific credential’s fee you’re looking at before budgeting for renewal.
New Licensee vs. Renewing Licensee
A few distinctions worth knowing depending on where you are in your New Jersey licensure timeline:
- First-time LPC renewals are exempt from the CE requirement entirely for that first cycle — a genuine break for newly licensed counselors before the full 40-hour obligation begins.
- Licensed Associate Counselors (LAC) and Licensed Associate Marriage and Family Therapists (LAMFT) are exempt from continuing education requirements during their supervised, pre-independent-practice period.
- LSW-tier social workers face a lower 30-hour requirement compared to the full 40-hour LCSW total, reflecting the difference in independent practice authority between the two tiers.
- Supervisors overseeing associate-level clinicians take on real responsibility in New Jersey’s system, 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
New Jersey’s split renewal calendar — November for counseling, social work, and MFT versus June for psychology — makes a personal tracking system genuinely useful if you hold licenses across both groups. Keeping each deadline, fee, and mandated content category documented separately helps avoid the mistake of applying one board’s rules to another simply because both licenses happen to be in New Jersey.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions: New Jersey 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 New Jersey.
How many CE hours does an LPC need in New Jersey?
40 hours every two years, including a minimum of 5 hours ethics, 3 hours social and cultural competence, and 1 hour opioid education. First-time renewals are exempt from this requirement entirely.
Does New Jersey require ethics hours for every license type?
LPCs, LMFTs, and LCSWs each need a minimum of 5 ethics hours. Current published guidance doesn’t specify a standalone ethics-hour minimum for psychologists, whose mandated content instead centers on domestic violence and opioid education.
Can New Jersey clinicians complete all their CE online?
Psychologists may complete up to 30 of their 40 hours via home study. Current published guidance doesn’t specify a distance-learning cap for LPC, LMFT, or LCSW renewal — confirm current format rules directly with the relevant board.
Where can I find New Jersey continuing education courses?
Start with NBCC, ASWB, or APA depending on your license type, or New Jersey-specific organizations like the New Jersey Counseling Association, NJAMFT, New Jersey Psychological Association, or NASW New Jersey Chapter.
What happens if I miss my New Jersey license renewal deadline?
For LPC and LMFT, a $100 late fee applies if you renew within 30 days of expiration. For LCSW, the Board’s administrative code lists a $100 late fee and $150 reinstatement fee. Confirm current psychologist late-renewal policies directly with the Board of Psychological Examiners.
Is New Jersey part of any licensure compacts?
Confirm current status directly with the Counseling Compact, PSYPACT, and the Social Work Licensure Compact before assuming privileges apply, since compact adoption and operational status continue to change nationally and vary by profession.
Final Thoughts on New Jersey CE Requirements
New Jersey’s continuing education requirements are not especially difficult to manage once you understand the structure — but the details matter. Different professions follow different renewal schedules, required content areas, and approval pathways, which can create unnecessary confusion for clinicians who hold more than one credential.
The most important step is to avoid treating CE compliance as a last-minute task. Keeping a record of completed courses, required categories, renewal deadlines, and certificate documentation throughout your cycle makes the renewal process significantly easier and reduces the risk of discovering missing requirements right before your license expires.
Whether you are an LPC, LCSW, LMFT, psychologist, or another mental health professional in New Jersey, regularly reviewing your board’s current requirements and maintaining organized CE records can help you approach renewal with confidence. Requirements can change, so always confirm the latest information directly with your licensing board before completing CE hours or submitting your renewal application.
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References
- New Jersey Professional Counselor Examiners Committee. (n.d.). Home. Resource
- New Jersey State Board of Social Work Examiners. (n.d.). Frequently asked questions. Resource
- New Jersey State Board of Marriage and Family Therapy Examiners. (n.d.). Home. Resource
- New Jersey State Board of Psychological Examiners. (n.d.). Home. Resource
- New Jersey Administrative Code. (n.d.). N.J.A.C. 13:44G-14.1 — Fees. Resource
- New Jersey Counseling Association. (n.d.). Home. Resource
- New Jersey Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. (n.d.). Home. Resource
- New Jersey Psychological Association. (n.d.). Licensure renewal. Resource
- NASW New Jersey Chapter. (n.d.). About. Resource