Delaware LMFT Continuing Education Requirements
Delaware marriage and family therapists must complete 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew their LMFT license, including 3 hours of ethics and 3 hours of cultural inclusion equity and diversity.
40
total hours / 2 years
3
ethics hours
3
cultural inclusion equity and diversity hours
Biennial renewal · calculating the next statewide deadline
Delaware LMFT requirements
| Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|
| Total continuing education | 40 hours every 2 years. |
| Renewal | Biennial cycle: CE due by September 30 of even years. |
| Ethics | 3 hours required each cycle. |
| Cultural Inclusion Equity and Diversity | 3 hours required each cycle. |
| New licensees | If your first license was issued from April 1 through September 30 of an even-numbered renewal year, no CE is required for that initial period. |
| Approved providers | Qualifying CE may be offered or sponsored by national professional association, state professional association, regional professional association, governmental agency, and credentialing board and recognized associations in counseling, mft, social work, psychology, chemical dependency, and art therapy. |
| Recordkeeping | Keep CE documentation for 1 year after each renewal. |
| Board audit | The board may audit licensees to verify CE compliance. |
Limits on how the hours are earned
Board caps and floors on where the 40 hours can come from.
- teaching presentation publicationmax 20 hrs
Keeping the proof in order: what to keep for a CE audit, with every state’s retention period and what the audit notice asks for.
Full board policy details
- Self-study, online, webinars, and other distance-learning formats are fully acceptable. No minimum in-person or live-interactive requirement. No per-day or per-course hour cap stated.
- Teaching academic or CE courses, presenting original papers, and authoring peer-reviewed articles may COLLECTIVELY count for up to 20 CE hours per biennial cycle. Repeating the same course earns no additional credit toward this 20-hour bucket. The cap is on the licensee-as-educator/author activity, NOT on the delivery format of consumed CE (self-study, online, and other distance-learning formats remain fully acceptable with no cap). Credits in any of these three activities share one 20-hour bucket; tag them with the combined activity category `teaching_presentation_publication` so the shared cap applies correctly.
- Inactive status: licensee may request inactive status (approved by Board), held up to five years, with no CE required while inactive. Inactive license terminates at end of the five-year period if not returned to active status. Delaware does not have a separate retired/emeritus license status.
- Reactivation from inactive: licensee must submit written request and provide proof of 40 hours of acceptable CE completed in the two years immediately preceding the request, including 3 hours ethics and 3 hours cultural inclusion/equity/diversity, plus payment of the renewal fee (no late fee).
- Hardship extension: Board may grant a CE extension or exception for good cause (disability, serious illness, military service, extended absence from the jurisdiction, exceptional family responsibilities). Request must be made in writing before the end of the licensing period, accompanied by the renewal fee. No conditional/probationary renewal exists outside the hardship-extension pathway.
- Courses approved by recognized national mental health or substance abuse organizations or their local affiliates (e.g., NBCC, AAMFT, IFTA, NAADAC, the Delaware Certification Board, NASW, ATCB, APA) are accepted regardless of course content and do not need separate Board approval. Other activities aimed at maintaining professional competence are also acceptable; courses whose relevance is not clear require Board approval (requested by the licensee, not the sponsor).
- Telehealth competence: licensees providing services via telehealth must maintain competence with the information technologies used through continuing education, consultation, or other procedures. No fixed CE hour count is mandated for telehealth; relevant training can count toward the standard 40-hour requirement.
- Delaware does not allow taking a licensing examination (NCE, NCMHCE, AMFTRB, etc.) in lieu of CE credits.
- Supervisor training: An LPCMH who serves as a clinical supervisor for an associate must have completed at least 3 hours of CE in clinical supervision within the two years prior to the associate's application, OR have accumulated 12 hours of clinical supervision training over their lifetime. This is a precondition for supervising trainees, not a recurring renewal requirement for the supervisor's own license.
We turn every category, format limit, and one-time rule on this page into a live checklist on your Delaware LMFT record, and reapply board changes automatically as they happen.
Track Delaware LMFT CE free →Delaware LMFT CE: frequently asked questions
How many CE hours do Delaware LMFT licensees need?
Delaware requires 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew a LMFT license. Biennial cycle: CE due by September 30 of even years.
How many ethics hours are required for Delaware LMFT licensees?
Of the total, 3 hours must be in ethics.
How often do Delaware LMFT licensees renew?
Biennial cycle: CE due by September 30 of even years.
Are there subject-specific CE requirements for Delaware LMFT licensees?
Yes. In addition to ethics, Delaware requires 3 hours of cultural inclusion equity and diversity.
Is the first renewal different for new Delaware LMFT licensees?
If your first license was issued from April 1 through September 30 of an even-numbered renewal year, no CE is required for that initial period.
Sources & verification
- State source
- Delaware board rule
- Last verified
- August 2026
- Ruleset version
- 2026.2
Reviewed against the Delaware 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 →
Track your Delaware LMFT CE without the spreadsheet.
Log your hours, watch every category pace toward your biennial renewal, and keep your certificates in one record. Free to start, no credit card required.
Create your free recordDelawareguides & data
What to keep for a CE audit
What boards ask for in a CE audit, how long each state says to keep certificates, what the notice looks like, and a printable checklist.
Delaware mental health workforce data
4,511 active providers, or 425.6 per 100,000 residents, ranked 27 of 51. County density map and free CSV downloads.