Arkansas LMFT & LAMFT Continuing Education Requirements
Arkansas marriage and family therapists must complete 24 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew their LMFT / LAMFT license, including 3 hours of ethics.
24
total hours / 2 years
3
ethics hours
Biennial · renewal date varies by licensee.
Arkansas LMFT & LAMFT requirements
| Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|
| Total continuing education | 24 hours every 2 years. |
| Renewal | Biennial cycle: tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date. |
| Ethics | 3 hours required each cycle. |
Limits on how the hours are earned
Board caps and floors on where the 24 hours can come from.
- teaching new course or publicationmax 10 hrs
- professional leadership servicemax 10 hrs
Full board policy details
- Arkansas does not impose a live/self-study ratio or in-person minimum. Acceptable CE activities include workshops, presenting, academic coursework, publishing, and professional service. Workshops by qualified professionals from state/nationally recognized programs or NBCC-approved providers are accepted.
- Credit conversion formulas: Presenters earn 2 CE hours per 1 hour of initial presentation. Academic coursework earns 15 CE hours per 1 course credit hour. Teaching a new course or publishing a journal article/book earns 10 CE hours. Leadership/professional service earns 10 CE hours. Volunteer services under the Arkansas Volunteer Health Care Act earn 1 CE hour per 8 volunteer hours.
- Course repeat restrictions: Presenter credit (2 hours per hour of presentation) is awarded only for the initial presentation of a workshop. The rule does not cap the initial presentation at 10 hours and does not otherwise forbid retaking the same CE course.
- License status rules: Non-practicing (inactive) status is available for counselors out of work due to health, retirement, military service, or other extenuating circumstances. Non-practicing licensees are NOT exempt from CE — they must still submit proof of the 24 required CE hours at renewal. Non-practicing status may be renewed up to TWICE without additional Board approval, requiring only the normal renewal fee and CE; renewals beyond two consecutive cycles in non-practicing status require additional Board approval. If a license has been lapsed/expired for over 12 months, the licensee must reapply as a new applicant; within 12 months of expiration, late renewal is possible with fees and full CE compliance. No formal CE waivers or extensions are offered.
- Renewal deadline and enforcement: Arkansas licenses expire biennially on May 31 of the licensee's renewal year, and CE evidence must be satisfactory by that date. The expiration-date anchor preserves the licensee-specific renewal-year parity while the 24-month lookback supplies the CE window.
- Specialization: If a licensee has a specialization listed on their Statement of Intent, they must complete CE hours specific to that specialization. The rule does not specify a minimum number of hours.
- Dual counseling/MFT licensees still owe 24 total hours and 3 ethics hours. The remaining 21 hours must show a balance between counseling and MFT content; because the rule gives no numerical floor for either discipline, the balance is a manual review rather than a structured 7-hour proxy.
- Supervisors: 3 of the 6 required supervision CE hours must be from Board-recognized state associations or an Arkansas university-sponsored program.
- A licensee short on CE hours may take the NCE, NCMHCE, or AMFTRB examination and meet the national passing score as a substitute for CE clock hours. This is separate from the conditional/extension process.
We turn every category, format limit, and one-time rule on this page into a live checklist on your Arkansas LMFT / LAMFT record, and reapply board changes automatically as they happen.
Track Arkansas LMFT / LAMFT CE free →Arkansas LMFT & LAMFT CE: frequently asked questions
How many CE hours do Arkansas LMFT / LAMFT licensees need?
Arkansas requires 24 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew a LMFT / LAMFT license. Biennial cycle: tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.
How many ethics hours are required for Arkansas LMFT / LAMFT licensees?
Of the total, 3 hours must be in ethics.
How often do Arkansas LMFT / LAMFT licensees renew?
Biennial cycle: tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.
Sources & verification
- State source
- Arkansas board rule
- Last verified
- August 2026
- Ruleset version
- 2026.3
Reviewed against the Arkansas board source and refreshed 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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