Updated for 2026

Alabama LMFT, LMFT-A & MFT-INTERN Continuing Education Requirements

Alabama marriage and family therapists must complete 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew their LMFT / LMFT-A / MFT-INTERN license, including 6 hours of professional issues and ethics, 10 hours of clinical MFT workshops, and 6 hours of diagnosis and treatment.

40hours every 2 years
Topic minimums, counted within the 40
10clinical MFT workshops
6professional issues and ethics
6diagnosis and treatment

The renewal cycle is biennial and is tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.

What the board saysAlabama board rule
In order for an LMFT license to be renewed, the licensee must have completed a minimum of forty (40) contact hours of acceptable Continuing Education or Experience Units during the previous twenty-four (24) months. … Supervision by an Approved MFT Supervisor1 under a board approved contract (not more than ten (10) hours)1; … No more than ten (10) hours of continuing education shall be in independent study.2
What it means
  1. No more than 10 hours of supervision received
  2. No more than 10 hours of independent study
Ala. Admin. Code r. 536-X-6-.01Last verified July 2026Ruleset 2026.4How we verify
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Requirements

Alabama LMFT, LMFT-A & MFT-INTERN requirements

Total

40 hoursYou need 40 hours every 2 years. The renewal cycle is biennial and is tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.

Topic minimums, counted within the 40

The remaining 18 hours are not tied to a topic minimum.
Clinical MFT Workshops
10
You need 10 hours each cycle.
Professional Issues and Ethics
6
You need 6 hours each cycle.
Diagnosis and Treatment
6
You need 6 hours each cycle.

Limits on how the hours are earned

Independent study
max 10 hrs
Supervision received
max 10 hrs

Cycle and record rules

Renewal
The renewal cycle is biennial and is tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.
Approved providers
Qualifying CE may be offered or sponsored by national professional association, state professional association, local professional association, accredited university, governmental agency, and nbcc approved provider and recognized associations in mft, counseling, psychology, social work, nursing, and medicine.
Recordkeeping
Keep CE documentation for 2 years after each renewal.
Board audit
The board may audit licensees to verify CE compliance.
Late renewal
A late renewal adds a late fee.

To keep your proof in order, see what to keep for a CE audit, which covers every state’s retention period and what the audit notice asks for.

Your hours

Check where you stand

Enter the hours you have completed this cycle to see what is left before your renewal.

Your result appears here as you enter hours.

Open the full LMFT CE hours calculator

Also hold a Alabama LPC or LCSW license? Each board runs its own CE cycle. See the Alabama LPC and Alabama LCSW requirements.

Full board policy details
  • AAMFT- or NBCC-preapproved distance learning is accepted and may include web lectures, internet bulletin-board discussions, email interaction, television, or video. The rule does not require all distance education to be synchronous and imposes no separate live or in-person minimum.
  • No more than 10 hours per cycle may be earned through independent study activities, which include teaching MFT courses, presenting professional material (first presentation only), supervising a licensure candidate, service on professional boards or committees, and authoring/editing professional publications. No more than 10 hours per cycle may be counted from receiving supervision by an Approved MFT Supervisor under a board-approved contract.
  • Academic coursework conversion: one graduate semester hour = 15 CE hours; one graduate quarter hour = 10 CE hours.
  • Course repeat restrictions: An instructor/presenter may claim CE credit only for the FIRST time a given piece of MFT material is presented in a recognized professional forum; teaching the same course again in a cycle yields no additional credit. For attendees, the rules do not explicitly prohibit taking the same course twice for credit within a cycle.
  • License status rules: Alabama's MFT board does not offer a formal inactive or retired/emeritus status that pauses CE, a license is either renewed (with full CE) or allowed to lapse. There is no CE requirement during a lapse (no active license). To reactivate an expired license, the licensee must pay the renewal fee plus a late fee AND show completion of the standard required CE hours for the preceding 24 months; no additional makeup hours beyond the standard requirement are mandated. The board publishes no hardship, illness, or military CE waiver/extension; insufficient CE results in refusal to renew.

Alabama LMFT, LMFT-A & MFT-INTERN CE: frequently asked questions

How many CE hours do Alabama LMFT / LMFT-A / MFT-INTERN licensees need?

Alabama requires 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew a LMFT / LMFT-A / MFT-INTERN license. The renewal cycle is biennial and is tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.

How many ethics hours are required for Alabama LMFT / LMFT-A / MFT-INTERN licensees?

Of the total, 6 hours must be in professional issues and ethics.

How often do Alabama LMFT / LMFT-A / MFT-INTERN licensees renew?

The renewal cycle is biennial and is tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.

Are there subject-specific CE requirements for Alabama LMFT / LMFT-A / MFT-INTERN licensees?

Yes. In addition to ethics, Alabama requires 10 hours of clinical MFT workshops, 6 hours of diagnosis and treatment.

Sources and verification

State source
Alabama board rule
Last verified
July 2026
Ruleset version
2026.4

We reviewed this page against the Alabama board source, and we refresh it from the compiled ruleset above. Methodology and disclaimer. Compliance data is for guidance only, not legal or board advice. Always confirm requirements with your licensing board before renewing. See something wrong? Report it

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Alabama guides & data

What to keep for a CE audit →Learn what boards ask for in a CE audit, how long each state says to keep certificates, and what the notice looks like, then use the printable checklist.Alabama mental health workforce data →9,968 active providers, or 191.9 per 100,000 residents, ranked 51 of 51. The page includes a county density map and free CSV downloads.

Other Alabama CE requirement pages

Alabama LPCAlabama LCSWAlabama PsychologistAlabama PMHNP

LMFT CE requirements in other states