Vermont Continuing Education Requirements for Mental Health Professionals

Vermont’s counseling/MFT board and social work board both recently added a shared requirement around systemic oppression and anti-oppressive practice, layered onto their existing ethics mandates. It’s a genuinely current addition, and it lands differently by profession — LCMHCs and LMFTs need 40 hours total, LICSWs need 20, and psychologists sit well above both at 60.

The detail most worth knowing precisely, confirmed directly from Vermont’s own official fee schedule: LCMHC and LMFT expire January 31 of odd-numbered years, while LICSW and psychology expire January 31 of even-numbered years — the same month, but opposite year parity. Vermont is also actively working through Counseling Compact rulemaking as of mid-2026, with public comment still open.

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

Vermont Continuing Education Requirements

Vermont’s counseling/MFT board and social work board both recently added a shared requirement around systemic oppression and anti-oppressive practice, layered onto their existing ethics mandates (Vermont Board of Allied Mental Health, n.d.; Vermont Office of Professional Regulation, Social Work, n.d.; Vermont Board of Psychological Examiners, n.d.).

License Type	CE Requirements	Renewal / Special Requirements	Official Licensing Board
Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC)	40 CE hours every 2 years	Minimum 4 hours professional ethics, at least 1 hour in systemic oppression and anti-oppressive practice (or related topics like cultural competency/humility). Up to 28 hours may be completed via individualized/online learning.	Vermont Board of Allied Mental Health
Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW)	20 CE hours every 2 years	Minimum 1.5 hours ethics (boundaries, confidentiality, dual relationships), 1 hour systemic oppression/anti-oppressive practice (new for the 2026 renewal cycle). Up to 5 hours may be informal education.	Vermont Office of Professional Regulation, Social Work
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (LMFT)	40 CE hours every 2 years	Same board and structure as LCMHC above.	Vermont Board of Allied Mental Health
Licensed Psychologist (PhD / PsyD)	60 CE hours every 2 years	Notably higher total than Vermont’s other three mental health licenses. Confirm current content-area breakdown directly with the Board.	Vermont Board of Psychological Examiners

Clinical Note: Vermont’s social work board added its systemic oppression/anti-oppressive practice requirement specifically for the 2026 renewal cycle — if your last renewal predates this, don’t assume your usual course list still fully satisfies the requirement. Also worth flagging: Vermont’s 60-hour psychology requirement is meaningfully higher than the 40-hour standard shared by the state’s other three licenses, so don’t assume parity if you’re comparing across professions.

Vermont License Renewal Requirements

All four Vermont licenses renew every two years in January, but the year parity genuinely differs by profession — confirmed directly from Vermont’s official Office of Professional Regulation fee schedule.

LCMHC License Renewal

Administered by the Vermont Board of Allied Mental Health. Per Vermont’s official OPR fee schedule, licenses expire January 31 of odd-numbered years, with a renewal fee of $230. The Board retains authority to audit CE compliance, so keep certificates and records of completion on file rather than assuming they won’t be requested.

LICSW License Renewal

Administered by the separate Vermont Office of Professional Regulation, Social Work division. Per the same official fee schedule, licenses expire January 31 of even-numbered years — the opposite year parity from LCMHC and LMFT despite sharing the same month. The renewal fee is $180. A state-specific jurisprudence exam (20 multiple-choice questions on Vermont social work rules, requiring a 70% passing score) is also part of the licensing process.

LMFT License Renewal

Administered by the same Vermont Board of Allied Mental Health as LCMHC, sharing the identical January 31 (odd-numbered years) deadline and $285 renewal fee — notably higher than LCMHC’s $230 despite sharing a board and CE structure.

Psychologist License Renewal

Administered by the separate Vermont Board of Psychological Examiners, under the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation. Per the official fee schedule, both Master’s-level and Doctorate-level psychologist licenses expire January 31 of even-numbered years — the same year parity as LICSW, different from LCMHC/LMFT. The renewal fee is $195.

Vermont Approved CE Providers

Whether you’re looking for Vermont online continuing education or in-person Vermont continuing education courses, Vermont recognizes CE from national accreditors alongside a state association whose membership genuinely spans all four professions:

Accreditor / Association	Who It’s For	Recognized For
National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)	LCMHCs	Explicitly accepted by the Board of Allied Mental Health, alongside APA-approved providers
Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)	LICSWs	Accepted for LICSW renewal
American Psychological Association (APA)	Licensed Psychologists	Explicitly accepted by the Board of Allied Mental Health for LCMHC/LMFT CE as well, not just psychology
American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA)	LCMHCs	AMHCA lists a Vermont chapter (VTMHCA), but as of this writing it has no active, standalone chapter website — LCMHCs should rely on AMHCA’s national resources directly rather than searching for a dedicated Vermont chapter site
Vermont Psychological Association (VPA)	All four professions	Genuinely cross-disciplinary — VPA’s own membership explicitly includes psychologists, LICSWs, LCMHCs, and LMFTs alike, offering CE relevant across all four
NASW Vermont Chapter	LICSWs	State-level CE and advocacy for Vermont social workers
American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT)	LMFTs	A recognized national source for LMFT CE, accepted by the Board of Allied Mental Health

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.

Vermont-Specific Considerations

A few details worth knowing beyond the base CE requirements:

The Two Boards Split Into Opposite Year Parities

This is worth stating precisely because it’s easy to get backwards: LCMHC and LMFT expire January 31 of odd-numbered years, while LICSW and psychology expire January 31 of even-numbered years. A dual-licensed clinician across these two groups renews in alternating years, not the same year with a different date.

Vermont Is Actively Working Through Counseling Compact Rulemaking

As of mid-2026, Vermont’s Board of Allied Mental Health has proposed Counseling Compact rule text (Chapter 9) that’s out for public comment, with the comment period running through July 12, 2026. This means Vermont has enacted the Compact but is still finalizing its specific implementation rules — confirm current operational status directly with the Counseling Compact before assuming privileges are usable yet.

The Systemic Oppression Requirement Rolled Out Differently by Board

LICSW’s 1-hour systemic oppression/anti-oppressive practice requirement is explicitly new for the 2026 renewal cycle, while LCMHC and LMFT’s identical 1-hour requirement isn’t tied to as clear a start date in available guidance. If you’re dual-licensed or unsure whether this applies to your current cycle, confirm directly with the relevant board rather than assuming both requirements began at the same time.

New Licensee vs. Renewing Licensee

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

• Unlicensed psychotherapists working toward LCMHC or LMFT licensure must register on Vermont’s roster of non-certified, non-licensed psychotherapists before beginning supervised practice — hours accumulated before this registration is approved don’t count toward licensure.
• LICSW candidates need a minimum of 75 hours of supervision at a ratio of 1 hour of supervision per 40 hours of practice, with at least 50% of supervision being individual.
• LCMHC candidates need 100 hours of face-to-face supervision (a higher ratio than LICSW, at roughly 1 hour per 30 experience hours), with at least 50 of those hours individual.
• Supervisors across all Vermont mental health licenses must have held their own license in good standing for at least 3 years before supervising, 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

Vermont’s split year-parity system — odd years for LCMHC/LMFT, even years for LICSW/psychology — combined with a still-evolving systemic oppression requirement, makes a personal tracking system genuinely useful for keeping your specific deadline and current content mandates straight. Confirming you’re working from your most recent renewal cycle’s requirements, not an older set, matters more here given how recently some of these rules changed.

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 Vermont CE Requirements

Vermont’s continuing education requirements are manageable once you know your specific board’s calendar — but that calendar genuinely splits by profession, and assuming LCMHC, LMFT, LICSW, and psychology all share one January deadline is where confusion sets in. Keep the odd/even year distinction in mind, especially if you hold licenses across both groups.

Given how recently the systemic oppression and anti-oppressive practice requirement was added, and how Vermont’s Counseling Compact implementation is still being finalized, this is a state worth checking directly with your board before each renewal rather than relying on what applied last cycle. Requirements here have genuinely been in motion, and confirming the latest information directly with your licensing board remains the safest approach.

References

• Vermont Office of Professional Regulation. (2025). OPR initial licensing/renewal fees & dates. Resource
• Vermont Board of Allied Mental Health. (n.d.). Applications & renewals. Resource
• Vermont Board of Allied Mental Health. (n.d.). Statutes, rules & resources. Resource
• Vermont Office of Professional Regulation, Social Work. (n.d.). Home. Resource
• Vermont Psychological Association. (n.d.). Resources & Licensing. Resource
• Vermont Psychological Association. (n.d.). About us. Resource