New York Continuing Education Requirements for Mental Health Professionals

New York runs one of the more consolidated systems in the country when it comes to renewal structure — LMHC, LMFT, LCAT, LCSW, and psychology all share the same 36-hour, triennial framework, even though they’re regulated by different boards under NYSED’s Office of the Professions. That structural consistency makes New York easier to navigate than states with genuinely different hour totals across professions.

The renewal fees themselves, pulled directly from NYSED’s own current fee schedule, break down precisely by profession: $241 for LMHC, LMFT, and LCAT; $224 for LCSW and LMSW; and $229 for psychology. All three include a specific continuing education processing fee bundled into the total. New York also added a new professional boundaries requirement in 2023 that applies across all four professions covered here.

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

New York Continuing Education Requirements

New York regulates LMHC, LMFT, and LCAT under one State Board for Mental Health Practitioners, with a separate State Board for Social Work and a separate psychology board — all sharing a common triennial (3-year) renewal structure and a relatively new professional boundaries mandate (New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions, n.d.).

License Type	CE Requirements	Renewal / Special Requirements	Official Licensing Board
Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC)	36 CE hours every 3 years	Maximum 12 hours (one-third) may be self-study. One-time 2-hour child abuse identification and reporting course (does not count toward the 36 hours). Starting with registration periods beginning April 1, 2023: 3 hours on appropriate professional boundaries, which does count toward the 36.	New York State Board for Mental Health Practitioners
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)	36 CE hours every 3 years	Maximum 12 hours self-study. Same 3-hour professional boundaries requirement as LMHC, phased in starting April 1, 2023.	New York State Board for Social Work
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (LMFT)	36 CE hours every 3 years	Same structure as LMHC: max 12 hours self-study, one-time 2-hour child abuse course, 3-hour professional boundaries requirement.	New York State Board for Mental Health Practitioners
Licensed Psychologist (PhD / PsyD)	36 CE hours every 3 years	Minimum 3 hours professional ethics (including NY-specific laws, rules, and regulations). Same 3-hour professional boundaries requirement as the other three professions.	New York State Board for Psychology

Clinical Note: New York’s 3-hour “appropriate professional boundaries” requirement is genuinely new — it applies across psychology, social work, and mental health practice alike, phased in starting with registration periods beginning April 1, 2023. If your last renewal predates that phase-in, don’t assume your next one is business as usual; confirm this specific requirement now applies to your registration period.

New York License Renewal Requirements

All four boards use the same individualized, birth-month-aligned triennial cycle, but each has its own specific fee — confirmed directly from NYSED’s official fee chart rather than secondary estimates.

LMHC License Renewal

Administered by the New York State Board for Mental Health Practitioners. Registration periods are triennial and aligned to your birth month; your second registration period (transitioning from your first license) may run shorter than 3 years specifically to sync your cycle to that birth month, with fees and CE prorated accordingly. Per NYSED’s official fee schedule, the re-registration fee is $241 total, which includes a $45 continuing education processing fee bundled into the $196 registration fee. NYSED mails a renewal notice about 4 months before your registration period ends, but you shouldn’t file your renewal until you’ve actually met the CE requirement — filing early without completed CE can place your registration on hold.

LCSW License Renewal

Administered by the separate New York State Board for Social Work, on the same individualized triennial birth-month cycle. Per NYSED’s official fee schedule, the re-registration fee is $224 total ($179 registration plus a $45 CE processing fee). LMSW re-registration follows the identical $224 fee structure.

LMFT License Renewal

Administered by the same New York State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as LMHC, sharing the identical triennial birth-month cycle and the same $241 re-registration fee (including the $45 CE processing fee).

Psychologist License Renewal

Administered by the separate New York State Board for Psychology, on the same individualized triennial birth-month structure. Per NYSED’s official fee schedule, the re-registration fee is $229 total ($179 registration plus a $50 CE processing fee) — a slightly higher CE fee than the other three professions. As with LMHC, don’t file your renewal until you’ve met the CE requirement, since NYSED will place an incomplete registration on hold.

New York Approved CE Providers

Whether you’re looking for New York online continuing education or in-person New York continuing education courses, all coursework must come from a Department-approved provider — New York does not accept CE from unapproved sources regardless of national accreditation:

Accreditor / Association	Who It’s For	Recognized For
National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)	LMHCs	Widely used, though the specific course must also carry NYSED provider approval
Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)	LCSWs	Widely used, subject to the same NYSED-approved-provider requirement
American Psychological Association (APA)	Licensed Psychologists	The standard for psychologist CE, subject to NYSED provider approval
New York Mental Health Counselors Association (NYMHCA)	LMHCs	The only statewide membership association dedicated exclusively to New York LMHCs, and an approved CE provider through its affiliated Institute
New York State Psychological Association (NYSPA)	Licensed Psychologists	The first state psychological association in the country, offering state-level CE and advocacy
NASW New York State Chapter	LCSWs	Organized across 14 local networks statewide, offering CE and regional professional development
AAMFT New York Network	LMFTs	Regional AAMFT affiliate offering CE and networking for New York marriage and family therapists

New York’s rule is notably strict on this point: coursework must come from a Department-approved provider specifically, and courses taken before certain effective dates (January 1, 2017 for LMHC/LCSW, January 1, 2021 for psychology) don’t count toward current triennial requirements even if the content would otherwise qualify. 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 York-Specific Considerations

A few details worth knowing beyond the base CE requirements:

Renewal Dates Are Individualized to Your Birth Month

New York doesn’t use one shared statewide deadline — every triennial registration period is timed to end the month before your date of birth. Your second registration period after initial licensure may run shorter than 3 years specifically to align your cycle to that birth month, with both fees and CE requirements prorated for that transitional period.

Don’t File Your Renewal Before You’ve Completed Your CE

NYSED is explicit about this across every profession covered here: you should not submit your registration renewal until you’ve actually met your continuing education requirement. Filing early with incomplete CE places your registration on hold rather than processing normally — the CE needs to be done first, not just planned.

The Professional Boundaries Requirement Has a Specific Effective Date

The 3-hour professional boundaries requirement doesn’t apply retroactively — it applies specifically to registration periods beginning on or after April 1, 2023. If your current registration period started before that date, this requirement may not yet apply to you, but it will at your next renewal. Confirm your specific registration period’s start date if you’re unsure whether this affects your current cycle.

New Licensee vs. Renewing Licensee

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

• First-time registrants across LMHC, LMFT, LCSW, and psychology are not required to complete continuing education during their very first registration period — the CE obligation begins with the second registration cycle.
• Second registration periods may run shorter than the standard 3 years specifically to align your cycle with your birth month, with CE hours prorated accordingly rather than the full 36 hours being owed regardless of the shortened timeframe.
• Licensees who don’t complete CE in time may apply for a conditional registration rather than losing their ability to practice outright, though this is a specific accommodation to request, not an automatic grace period.
• Supervisors overseeing clinicians during their supervised experience period take on real responsibility in New York’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 York’s birth-month-aligned individual renewal cycles mean your specific deadline won’t match a colleague’s, and NYSED’s rule against filing before CE is complete makes real-time tracking genuinely useful rather than a nice-to-have. Knowing exactly how many of your 36 hours are done, whether you’ve hit the professional boundaries requirement, and where your one-time child abuse course certificate is filed saves real friction at renewal time.

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.

Final Thoughts on New York CE Requirements

New York’s continuing education requirements are not especially difficult to manage once you understand the structure — but the details matter. Different professions follow the same 36-hour, triennial framework, yet renewal dates are tied to your individual birth month rather than a shared statewide deadline, which can create confusion for clinicians used to a fixed calendar date.

The most important step is to avoid treating CE compliance as a last-minute task. New York specifically will not process your renewal until your continuing education is complete, so keeping a record of completed courses, required categories like professional boundaries, and certificate documentation throughout your registration period makes the process significantly easier and reduces the risk of your registration being placed on hold.

Whether you are an LMHC, LCSW, LMFT, psychologist, or another mental health professional in New York, 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 registration renewal.

References

• New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions. (n.d.). Mental health counselors continuing education FAQs. Resource
• New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions. (n.d.). Fees. Resource
• New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions. (n.d.). Online registration renewal. Resource
• New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions. (n.d.). Social work continuing education FAQs. Resource
• New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions. (n.d.). Psychology continuing education Q&A. Resource
• New York Mental Health Counselors Association. (n.d.). About. Resource
• New York State Psychological Association. (n.d.). About. Resource
• NASW New York State Chapter. (n.d.). Divisions. Resource