Washington Continuing Education Requirements for Mental Health Professionals

Washington’s Department of Health regulates LMHC, LMFT, and LICSW under one unified rule with a shared 36-hour CE total, and a detail confirmed directly from the Washington Administrative Code that’s genuinely easy to miss: all three licenses actually renew every single year on the practitioner’s birthday, even though CE hours are only reported every two years. Psychology follows the exact same annual-renewal pattern under its own separate rule, despite the table’s 3-year CE cycle.

Renewal fees, confirmed directly from WAC 246-809-990 and WAC 246-924-990, differ meaningfully by profession: $180 for LMFT, $125 for LMHC, $70 for LICSW, and $210 for psychologists — each with a mandatory additional $16 UW online access fee (HEAL-WA) tacked on. Don’t let the biennial or triennial CE-hour framing obscure the fact that your actual license renewal, and its fee, comes due annually regardless of license type.

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

Washington Continuing Education Requirements

Washington’s Department of Health regulates LMHC, LMFT, and LICSW under one unified rule (WAC 246-809), with psychology licensed separately and on a distinctive three-year cycle (Washington State Department of Health, n.d.).

License Type	CE Requirements	Renewal / Special Requirements	Official Licensing Board
Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC)	36 CE hours every 2 years	Minimum 6 hours professional law and ethics. 6 hours suicide assessment/treatment/management every 6 years (counts toward the 36). 2 hours health equity every 4 years. Maximum 26 hours via distance learning; up to 26 hours may come from qualifying employer-sponsored training.	Washington State Department of Health
Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW)	36 CE hours every 2 years	Same rule and structure as LMHC above.	Washington State Department of Health
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (LMFT)	36 CE hours every 2 years	Same rule and structure as LMHC and LICSW above.	Washington State Department of Health
Licensed Psychologist (PhD / PsyD)	60 CE hours every 3 years	Minimum 4 hours ethics, 2 hours health equity. 6 hours suicide assessment/treatment/management every 6 years. All 60 hours may be completed online. One-time jurisprudence exam required after initial licensure.	Washington Examining Board of Psychology

Clinical Note: Washington genuinely unifies LMHC, LICSW, and LMFT under the exact same rule and hour totals, which is a real convenience if you’re dual-licensed. Psychology sits apart on both a longer 3-year cycle and a higher 60-hour total — don’t assume the same tracking calendar applies if you hold both a counseling license and a psychology license in this state. Update: per WAC 246-809-990 and WAC 246-924-990, all four license types actually renew annually on the practitioner’s birthday — the CE hour cycle (2 years for counseling/social work, 3 years for psychology) is separate from the renewal cycle itself.

Washington License Renewal Requirements

Every Washington license covered here renews annually by birthday, confirmed directly from the Washington Administrative Code — but each carries its own distinct fee structure.

LMHC License Renewal

Administered by the Washington State Department of Health. Per WAC 246-809-990, licenses must be renewed every year on the practitioner’s birthday. The active-license renewal fee is $125, plus a mandatory $16 UW online access fee (HEAL-WA) — $141 total. A $65 late renewal penalty applies if you miss the deadline, and reissuing an expired license costs $65. As of May 1, 2025, DOH no longer mails paper renewal notices; all notifications now come by email through the HELMS licensing portal.

LICSW License Renewal

Administered by the same Washington State Department of Health, under the same unified WAC 246-809 rule as LMHC, sharing the identical annual birthday renewal cycle. The active-license renewal fee is notably lower at $70, plus the same $16 UW online access fee — $86 total. The late renewal penalty is $50, and expired license reissuance costs $72.50.

LMFT License Renewal

Also administered under WAC 246-809, sharing the identical annual birthday renewal cycle as LMHC and LICSW. The active-license renewal fee is the highest of the three at $180, plus the $16 UW online access fee — $196 total. The late renewal penalty is $90, and expired license reissuance costs $85.

Psychologist License Renewal

Administered by the separate Washington Examining Board of Psychology. Per WAC 246-924-990, psychology licenses also renew every year on the practitioner’s birthday — the same annual pattern as the counseling/social work licenses, despite CE hours being reported on a 3-year cycle. The active-license renewal fee is $210, plus the $16 UW online access fee — $226 total. The late renewal penalty is $105, and expired license reissuance costs $155. Effective August 14, 2025, new permanent rules affect various aspects of psychology licensing under chapter 246-924 WAC — confirm you’re working from current requirements if you haven’t renewed since that date.

Washington Approved CE Providers

Whether you’re looking for Washington online continuing education or in-person Washington continuing education courses, Washington’s own regulations explicitly name several accepted organizations directly in WAC 246-821-520:

Accreditor / Association	Who It’s For	Recognized For
National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)	LMHCs	Explicitly named in WAC 246-821-520 as an accepted CE organization
Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) / NASW-WA	LICSWs	NASW-WA is explicitly named in WAC 246-821-520 as an accepted CE organization
American Psychological Association (APA)	Licensed Psychologists	The standard for psychologist CE in Washington; most CE can also satisfy multiple state licensing jurisdictions simultaneously
Washington Mental Health Counselors Association (WMHCA)	LMHCs	Explicitly named in WAC 246-821-520 as an accepted CE organization, chartered through national AMHCA
Washington Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (WAMFT)	LMFTs	A statewide AAMFT Independent Affiliate offering networking, educational events, and state advocacy
NASW Washington State Chapter	LICSWs	Explicitly named in WAC 246-821-520 as an accepted CE organization
Washington State Psychological Association (WSPA)	Licensed Psychologists	State-level advocacy and CE for Washington psychologists

WAC 246-821-520 also names the Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC), the Voice for Washington State Addiction Professionals (WAADAC), the Washington State Society for Clinical Social Work, and SAMHSA among its accepted organizations. 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.

Washington-Specific Considerations

A few details worth knowing beyond the base CE requirements:

Every License Renews Annually, Regardless of the CE Reporting Cycle

This is genuinely important and applies uniformly across all four professions in this guide: whether your CE hours are tracked every 2 years (LMHC, LICSW, LMFT) or every 3 years (psychology), the underlying license itself must still be renewed — and its fee paid — every single year on your birthday. Don’t assume a multi-year CE cycle means a multi-year gap between renewals.

DOH Has Moved Fully to Digital Renewal Notices

As of May 1, 2025, the Department of Health no longer mails paper renewal certificates or notices to licensed professionals (facilities and those without a registered email are the exception). All communication now comes through email and the HELMS portal, accessed via a Secure Access Washington (SAW) account. If your email on file with DOH is outdated, you risk missing your renewal notice entirely.

Psychology’s Recent Rule Changes Are Worth Double-Checking

Effective August 14, 2025, new permanent rules took effect affecting Washington psychology licensing under chapter 246-924 WAC. If your last renewal predates this date, confirm current requirements directly with the Examining Board of Psychology rather than assuming your prior renewal experience still applies exactly.

New Licensee vs. Renewing Licensee

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

• Associate-level licenses (LMHC Associate, LMFT Associate, and social work associate credentials) are valid for one year and must be renewed annually on the date of issuance, at lower fees than the full independent license tiers.
• New psychologists must complete a one-time jurisprudence exam after initial licensure — a requirement separate from, and in addition to, the standard ongoing CE obligation.
• Retired active status is available for all four professions at meaningfully reduced renewal fees (for example, $70 for LMFT retired-active versus $180 for full active status), for licensees who want to maintain their credential without full active practice.
• Supervisors more broadly take on real responsibility in Washington’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

Washington’s split between annual license renewal and multi-year CE reporting cycles (2 years for counseling/social work, 3 years for psychology) makes a personal tracking system genuinely useful for keeping these two separate timelines straight. Knowing exactly when your CE hours are actually due, versus when your annual renewal fee comes due, prevents assuming a longer CE cycle means less frequent contact with DOH.

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 Washington CE Requirements

The single most important fact to take from this guide is one easy to overlook in secondary sources: every Washington mental health license renews annually by birthday, confirmed directly in the state’s own administrative code, regardless of whether your CE hours are tracked over 2 years or 3. Treating a multi-year CE cycle as a multi-year gap between renewals is the most common point of confusion here.

With DOH’s shift to fully digital renewal notices as of May 2025, keeping your email address current in the HELMS system matters more than ever — a missed notice because of an outdated email is now the most likely way to accidentally let a Washington license lapse.

References

• Washington State Department of Health. (n.d.). Mental health counselor: Continuing education. Resource
• Washington Administrative Code. (n.d.). WAC 246-809-990 — Licensed counselor, and associate: Fees and renewal cycle. Resource
• Washington Administrative Code. (n.d.). WAC 246-924-990 — Psychology fees and renewal cycle. Resource
• Washington State Department of Health. (n.d.). Psychologist: Continuing education. Resource
• Washington State Department of Health. (n.d.). Renewals. Resource
• Washington Administrative Code. (n.d.). WAC 246-821-520 — Accepted continuing education organizations. Resource
• Washington Mental Health Counselors Association. (n.d.). About WMHCA. Resource