Tennessee Continuing Education Requirements for Mental Health Professionals

Tennessee’s counseling and social work boards share a genuinely similar structure — a 1-hour Tennessee law/rules component and a periodic suicide prevention requirement layered on top of profession-specific ethics minimums. But the rhythm for completing that CE looks different depending on your license: counselors and MFTs report annually, hitting 10 hours every single calendar year, while social workers and psychologists track their totals across the full two-year cycle instead.

Renewal fees also differ meaningfully by profession, confirmed directly from Tennessee’s own licensing resources: $115 for LPC-MHSP and LMFT, $225 for psychologists, with social work’s exact renewal figure varying by license tier. Tennessee’s social work board also recently shifted its CE reporting cycle from annual to biennial — worth knowing if you’re relying on older guidance describing yearly social work renewal.

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

Tennessee Continuing Education Requirements

Tennessee’s counseling board and social work board each mandate a shared 1-hour Tennessee law/rules component and a periodic suicide prevention requirement, layered on top of profession-specific ethics minimums (Tennessee Board of Licensed Professional Counselors, Licensed Marital and Family Therapists, and Licensed Pastoral Therapists, n.d.; Tennessee Board of Social Work, n.d.; Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology, n.d.).

License Type	CE Requirements	Renewal / Special Requirements	Official Licensing Board
Licensed Professional Counselor with Mental Health Services Provider designation (LPC-MHSP)	10 CE hours every calendar year (20 per 2-year renewal cycle)	Minimum 3 hours ethics or Tennessee rules/regulations annually. 2 hours board-approved suicide prevention training every 4 years. Supervisors need 3 hours in supervision annually. Up to 5 of the 10 annual hours may be multimedia.	Tennessee Board of Licensed Professional Counselors, Licensed Marital and Family Therapists, and Licensed Pastoral Therapists
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)	30 CE hours every 2 years (15 per calendar year)	Minimum 6 hours ethics, 1 hour specific to Tennessee social work statutes/rules. 2 hours suicide prevention every 4 years. Maximum 20 hours via distance learning. Supervisors need a one-time or cumulative 12 hours in supervision-specific training.	Tennessee Board of Social Work
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (LMFT)	10 CE hours every calendar year (20 per 2-year renewal cycle)	Same board and structure as LPC-MHSP above.	Tennessee Board of Licensed Professional Counselors, Licensed Marital and Family Therapists, and Licensed Pastoral Therapists
Licensed Psychologist (PhD / PsyD)	40 CE hours every 2 years	Minimum 20 hours must involve real-time interaction; minimum 9 hours from an APA-approved sponsor. 3 hours specific to Tennessee statutes/rules and the APA Ethics Code, plus 3 hours in cultural diversity.	Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology

Clinical Note: Tennessee counselors and MFTs report CE annually rather than biennially, which changes the rhythm of tracking compared to most other professions in the state — don’t let the “20 hours per cycle” framing used by some secondary sources obscure that you actually need to hit 10 hours every single calendar year, not bank it all at the end.

Tennessee License Renewal Requirements

Tennessee’s counseling board and psychology board both use individualized, birth-month-based deadlines, while social work’s specific fee structure varies more by license tier — confirmed directly from Tennessee’s own licensing resources.

LPC-MHSP License Renewal

Administered by the Tennessee Board of Licensed Professional Counselors, Licensed Marital and Family Therapists, and Licensed Pastoral Therapists. Licenses renew online every two years by the last day of the licensee’s birth month. The renewal fee is $115, with an additional $100 late fee if renewal is submitted after expiration. Online renewal is available up to 70 days before expiration, with reminder notices mailed roughly 45 days before the deadline. The Board conducts random CE compliance audits, so retain documentation for at least 4 years.

LCSW License Renewal

Administered by the separate Tennessee Board of Social Work. Renewal is biennial; the Board recently shifted its CE reporting cycle from annual to two years, so confirm you’re referencing current guidance rather than an older annual-cycle description. Reported fees vary by license tier and by source (application versus renewal fees are sometimes conflated in published guides), so confirm your specific current renewal amount directly with the Board. CE Broker is the Board’s recommended tool for tracking completed hours.

LMFT License Renewal

Administered by the same Tennessee Board of Licensed Professional Counselors, Licensed Marital and Family Therapists, and Licensed Pastoral Therapists as LPC-MHSP, sharing the identical birth-month biennial deadline, $115 renewal fee, and $100 late fee structure.

Psychologist License Renewal

Administered by the separate Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology. Renewal is biennial, with licenses expiring on the practitioner’s birth month in even or odd years depending on original licensure date. The renewal fee is $225, paid through the state’s online licensing portal. If the Department of Revenue has notified the Board that your professional privilege tax is unpaid, the Board cannot process your renewal until a tax clearance letter is received — a real, Tennessee-specific hold worth resolving well before your deadline if it applies to you. Excess CE hours from one period cannot carry over to the next.

Tennessee Approved CE Providers

Whether you’re looking for Tennessee online continuing education or in-person Tennessee continuing education courses, Tennessee recognizes CE from national accreditors alongside genuinely active state associations:

Accreditor / Association	Who It’s For	Recognized For
National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)	LPC-MHSPs	Widely accepted for LPC-MHSP renewal
Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)	LCSWs	Accepted for LCSW renewal, tracked through CE Broker
American Psychological Association (APA)	Licensed Psychologists	Required source for at least 9 of the 40 hours (Type I programs specifically)
Tennessee Counseling Association (TCA)	LPC-MHSPs	State branch of ACA, home to divisions including TMHCA, with an annual conference and monthly trainings
Tennessee Licensed Professional Counselors Association (TLPCA)	LPC-MHSPs	Founded in 2007, representing over 400 LPCs across the state with dedicated advocacy and CE
Tennessee Psychological Association (TPA)	Licensed Psychologists	Regularly offers webinars specifically addressing Tennessee law and ethics for psychologist CE
NASW Tennessee Chapter	LCSWs	State-level CE and advocacy for Tennessee social workers

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.

Tennessee-Specific Considerations

A few details worth knowing beyond the base CE requirements:

Counselors and MFTs Report Annually, Not Biennially

This is worth repeating because secondary sources often frame it as “20 hours per 2-year cycle,” which obscures the actual mechanics: Tennessee LPC-MHSPs and LMFTs must complete 10 hours every single calendar year, not bank all 20 hours at the end of the renewal period. Waiting until year two to do all your CE risks falling short of the year-one requirement even if your two-year total is technically complete.

Tennessee’s Professional Privilege Tax Can Block Psychology Renewal

This is a genuinely distinctive Tennessee mechanic: if the Department of Revenue notifies the Board of Examiners in Psychology that your professional privilege tax is unpaid, your license renewal is held until a tax clearance letter is received. This isn’t a CE issue at all, but it can delay your renewal just as effectively — worth confirming your tax status is current well before your deadline.

Social Work’s CE Cycle Recently Changed From Annual to Biennial

The Tennessee Board of Social Work has approved a shift in its continuing education cycle from annual to a two-year structure. If you’re used to reporting social work CE every year in Tennessee, or you’re referencing older guidance, confirm the current biennial framework applies to your specific renewal rather than assuming the older annual cadence still holds.

New Licensee vs. Renewing Licensee

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

• LPC-MHSP-Supervisors and LMFT-Supervisors need 3 hours in supervision-specific content annually, on top of their standard 10-hour yearly requirement — a real, recurring addition tied to maintaining supervisory status.
• LCSW-Supervisors face a different structure than counseling supervisors: a one-time or cumulative 12 hours in supervision-specific training, rather than an annually recurring obligation.
• Reciprocity applicants from Kentucky holding the LPCC designation may apply directly for LPC-MHSP licensure in Tennessee, though they still need to complete Tennessee’s jurisprudence exam as part of that process.
• Supervisors more broadly take on real responsibility in Tennessee’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

Tennessee’s annual reporting requirement for LPC-MHSPs and LMFTs — genuinely different from the biennial cycle social workers and psychologists follow — makes a personal tracking system especially useful for staying on pace year to year rather than discovering a shortfall at your two-year renewal. Confirming your specific supervisor CE obligations and suicide prevention training timing is also easier with a running record than reconstructed from memory.

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 Tennessee CE Requirements

Tennessee’s continuing education requirements are manageable once you understand the rhythm — but that rhythm genuinely differs by profession, and assuming everyone reports on the same cycle is where mistakes happen. LPC-MHSPs and LMFTs are on the clock every calendar year; LCSWs and psychologists have more breathing room across a full two-year period.

Building a habit of confirming your specific board’s current rules each renewal cycle, rather than relying on what applied last time, matters more here than in some states given how recently Tennessee’s social work board changed its reporting structure. Always verify the latest requirements directly with your licensing board before completing CE hours or submitting your renewal application.

References

• Tennessee Board of Licensed Professional Counselors, Licensed Marital and Family Therapists, and Licensed Pastoral Therapists. (n.d.). Frequently asked questions. Resource
• Tennessee Board of Social Work. (n.d.). Home. Resource
• Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology. (n.d.). Home. Resource
• Tennessee Counseling Association. (n.d.). Home. Resource
• Tennessee Licensed Professional Counselors Association. (n.d.). Home. Resource
• Tennessee Psychological Association. (n.d.). Home. Resource
• NASW Tennessee Chapter. (n.d.). Continuing education. Resource