Texas consolidates licensing for counselors, social workers, marriage and family therapists, and psychologists under one Behavioral Health Executive Council — genuinely unusual at this scale — even though each profession keeps its own distinct hour total and content requirements. LPCs need 24 hours, LCSWs and LMFTs need 30, and psychologists need 40, all on the same two-year cycle but with real differences underneath.
The single most useful administrative fact for every Texas mental health professional right now: starting January 1, 2026, all four professions must report their CE through CE Broker to renew. Renewal fees also differ substantially by license, confirmed directly from BHEC’s own current fee schedule: $141 for LPC and LMFT, $108 for LCSW, and $295 for psychologists.
This guide explains the current Texas continuing education requirements for LPCs, LCSWs, LMFTs, and psychologists, including required CE hours, ethics requirements, renewal deadlines, approved providers, and other Texas-specific rules to help you stay compliant.
Texas Continuing Education Requirements
Texas is genuinely distinctive: a single Behavioral Health Executive Council (BHEC) oversees licensing for counselors, marriage and family therapists, social workers, and psychologists alike, even though each profession retains its own specific hour totals and content requirements (Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council, n.d.).
| License Type | CE Requirements | Renewal / Special Requirements | Official Licensing Board |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) | 24 CE hours every 2 years | Minimum 6 hours ethics, 3 hours cultural diversity/competency. Passing the Texas jurisprudence exam (required every renewal) counts as 1 ethics hour. At least 50% of hours must come from qualified providers. Supervisors need 6 additional hours in supervision. Up to 10 hours may carry over. | Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council |
| Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) | 30 CE hours every 2 years | Minimum 6 hours ethics, 3 hours cultural diversity. | Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council |
| Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (LMFT) | 30 CE hours every 2 years | Minimum 6 hours ethics, 3 hours competency for a distinct population of the licensee’s choice. Jurisprudence exam counts as 1 ethics hour. Telehealth providers need 2 additional hours in technology-assisted services. | Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council |
| Licensed Psychologist (PhD / PsyD) | 40 CE hours every 2 years | Minimum 6 hours ethics, 6 hours cultural diversity. | Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council |
Clinical Note: Texas requiring all four professions to report through CE Broker starting January 1, 2026 is a genuinely useful administrative detail — regardless of which of these four licenses you hold, you’ll need an active CE Broker account to renew going forward, so set that up well before your renewal deadline rather than discovering the requirement at the last minute.
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Texas License Renewal Requirements
All four BHEC-regulated professions renew on an individualized biennial cycle, but fees differ substantially — confirmed directly from BHEC’s own current fee schedule.
LPC License Renewal
Administered by the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council. Renewal is biennial, on an individualized date rather than one shared statewide deadline; BHEC mails a reminder postcard and emails a notice at least 30 days before your renewal date. Per BHEC’s current fee schedule, the LPC renewal fee is $141 (a $135 base fee plus small Texas.gov and processing fees); an additional $50 fee applies for maintaining Supervisor status. Late renewal within 90 days of expiration costs 1.5 times the base renewal fee. All CE hours must be reported through CE Broker starting January 1, 2026.
LCSW License Renewal
Administered by the same Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council as LPC, on the same individualized biennial cycle. Per BHEC’s current fee schedule, the LBSW/LMSW/LMSW-AP/LCSW renewal fee is $108; an additional $20 fee applies for Independent Practice Recognition, and $50 for Supervisor status. The same 1.5x late fee structure applies within 90 days of expiration.
LMFT License Renewal
Also administered by BHEC, on the same individualized biennial cycle. Per the current fee schedule, the LMFT renewal fee is $141, matching LPC, with the same $50 Supervisor status fee and 1.5x late fee structure.
Psychologist License Renewal
Also administered by BHEC. Per the current fee schedule, the Licensed Psychologist (LP) renewal fee is $295 — notably higher than the other three professions. Licensed Psychological Associates (LPA) renew at $238, and Licensed Specialists in School Psychology (LSSP) renew at $141. The same individualized biennial cycle and 1.5x late fee structure apply.
Texas Approved CE Providers
Whether you’re looking for Texas online continuing education or in-person Texas continuing education courses, Texas recognizes CE from national accreditors alongside long-standing state associations:
| Accreditor / Association | Who It’s For | Recognized For |
|---|---|---|
| National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) | LPCs | A qualified provider source counting toward the 50% qualified-provider requirement |
| Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) | LCSWs | Accepted for LCSW renewal |
| American Psychological Association (APA) | Licensed Psychologists | The standard for psychologist CE in Texas |
| Texas Counseling Association (TCA) | LPCs | A member-driven organization serving LPCs, LPC Associates, LPC Supervisors, and counselor educators across Texas |
| Texas Psychological Association (TPA) | Licensed Psychologists | Established in 1947, the state affiliate of APA and a long-standing advocacy voice for Texas psychologists |
| NASW Texas Chapter | LCSWs | State-level CE and advocacy for Texas social workers |
| Texas Association of Marriage and Family Counselors (TAMFC) | LMFTs | A division of the Texas Counseling Association specific to marriage and family counseling |
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.
Texas-Specific Considerations
A few details worth knowing beyond the base CE requirements:
CE Broker Becomes Mandatory Across All Four Professions in 2026
This is genuinely important and applies uniformly: starting January 1, 2026, BHEC requires LPCs, LCSWs, LMFTs, and psychologists alike to report their continuing education through CE Broker. If you’ve previously tracked your own CE manually or through a different system, set up a CE Broker account well ahead of your next renewal rather than discovering this requirement at the deadline.
The Texas Jurisprudence Exam Doubles as Ethics Credit
Both LPCs and LMFTs must pass the Texas jurisprudence exam every renewal cycle, and doing so counts as 1 hour toward the ethics requirement — a genuinely efficient design similar to what a few other states offer, worth taking advantage of rather than treating the exam and your ethics CE as two fully separate obligations.
Psychology’s Renewal Fee Is Substantially Higher Than the Other Three Licenses
At $295, Texas’s Licensed Psychologist renewal fee is roughly double LPC or LMFT’s $141, and nearly triple LCSW’s $108. This is a real cost difference worth budgeting for specifically if you’re a psychologist, especially since Texas consolidates all four professions under one council — it would be easy to assume a shared fee structure that doesn’t actually exist.
New Licensee vs. Renewing Licensee
A few distinctions worth knowing depending on where you are in your Texas licensure timeline:
- LPC-Supervisors need 6 additional hours in supervision content on top of the standard 24-hour requirement, and pay a separate $50 fee to maintain that Supervisor status at renewal.
- LMFT telehealth providers need 2 additional hours specifically in technology-assisted services — a real add-on tied to practice modality rather than license tier.
- LPCs may carry over up to 10 unused CE hours into the next renewal cycle, a genuine flexibility not every state offers.
- Supervisors more broadly take on real responsibility in Texas’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
With CE Broker becoming mandatory across all four Texas professions in 2026, and real differences in fees and content requirements underneath BHEC’s unified structure, a personal tracking system helps you enter your renewal cycle already knowing where you stand rather than reconstructing two years of activity right as the CE Broker requirement takes effect.
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: Texas 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 Texas.
How many CE hours does an LPC need in Texas?
24 hours every two years, including a minimum of 6 hours ethics and 3 hours cultural diversity/competency. Passing the required Texas jurisprudence exam counts as 1 ethics hour. At least 50% of hours must come from qualified providers.
Does Texas require ethics hours for every license type?
Yes — LPCs, LCSWs, LMFTs, and psychologists all need a minimum of 6 ethics hours as part of their respective totals.
Can Texas clinicians complete all their CE online?
Current published guidance doesn’t specify a distance-learning cap for any of Texas’s four license types, though LPCs must ensure at least 50% of hours come from qualified providers regardless of format.
Where can I find Texas continuing education courses?
Start with NBCC, ASWB, or APA depending on your license type, or Texas-specific organizations like the Texas Counseling Association, Texas Psychological Association, NASW Texas Chapter, or the Texas Association of Marriage and Family Counselors.
What happens if I miss my Texas license renewal deadline?
A late fee equal to 1.5 times your base renewal fee applies if you renew within 90 days of expiration. Confirm current policies for licenses expired longer than 90 days directly with BHEC.
Is Texas 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 Texas CE Requirements
Texas’s unified BHEC structure is genuinely convenient administratively — one council, one renewal portal, one 30-day reminder system regardless of which of these four licenses you hold. But that consolidation doesn’t extend to fees or hour totals, which differ meaningfully by profession, so don’t let the shared council create an assumption of shared costs.
The mandatory CE Broker transition taking effect January 1, 2026 is the most time-sensitive item here for every Texas mental health professional — getting an account set up and your historical CE entered before your next renewal deadline avoids a last-minute scramble with a brand-new system.
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