Louisiana LMFT Continuing Education Requirements
Louisiana marriage and family therapists must complete 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew their LMFT license, including 3 hours of ethics and 6 hours of diagnosis.
40
total hours / 2 years
3
ethics hours
6
diagnosis hours
Biennial · renewal date varies by licensee.
Louisiana LMFT requirements
| Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|
| Total continuing education | 40 hours every 2 years. |
| Renewal | Biennial cycle: tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date. |
| Ethics | 3 hours required each cycle. |
| Diagnosis | 6 hours required each cycle. |
| Format limits | Up to 20 hours may be completed through home study / self-study. |
| Format limits | At least 20 hours must be earned live. |
| Board audit | The board may audit licensees to verify CE compliance. |
| Late renewal | A late renewal allows a 730-day grace period after expiration and a late fee. |
Limits on how the hours are earned
Board caps and floors on where the 40 hours can come from.
- home study / self-studymax 20 hrs
- livemin 20 hrs
- first time presentationmax 10 hrs
- publicationmax 10 hrs
- teachingmax 10 hrs
- professional servicemax 10 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
- No more than 20 of the 40 hours may be completed through asynchronous online/distance learning each renewal period. Synchronous, real-time interactive webinars count as live attendance toward the 20-hour live minimum. Academic coursework from a regionally accredited institution is exempt from the online cap and may count in full even if delivered online.
- Non-allowable activities: the Board gives no CE credit for business meetings, marketing or practice-building seminars, supervision sessions (outside the supervisor CE content area), personal therapy, or any content contrary to the LMFT code of ethics. Activities not based on sound educational principles (e.g., agency procedural training or self-help) do not count.
- Up to 20 of the 40 hours may come from "optional" activities: teaching a graduate MFT course (1 hour per hour taught, max 10, first-time-only), authoring/editing/ reviewing MFT publications (max 10), original professional presentations (3 CE hours per 1 hour presented, max 10), and structured peer consultation including at least one LMFT (1 hour per hour, max 10). The combined optional total cannot exceed 20 hours. The individual 10-hour caps are enforced here; the combined optional-activity pool requires manual review because credits do not carry a shared regulatory-pool field.
- Course repeat restrictions: CE credit for teaching a course is earned only for the first time the individual teaches that course during a renewal period; repeat offerings of the same course in the same cycle earn no additional credit. Presentation credit applies to original presentations only; re-runs of the same presentation in the same cycle do not earn additional credit. Repeating the same course as a participant within a cycle is not intended to earn additional credit.
- License status rules: Louisiana offers no inactive or retired LMFT status; a license is either active (with the 40-hour biennial CE met) or lapses/expires. There is no CE exemption for inactivity. A lapsed license may be reinstated within 2 years by paying a late fee and submitting documentation of the required 40 CE hours for the missed period; all late renewals are automatically audited. After 2 years lapsed the license expires and the licensee must reapply. No hardship, military, or illness CE waiver is provided in the rules.
- Dual-license credit reuse: An LMFT who also holds another Louisiana mental-health license with CE requirements may apply those CE hours toward the LMFT requirement, but at least 20 of the 40 hours must be specific to marriage and family therapy (including the MFT-specific ethics and diagnosis hours).
- CE approved by AAMFT, its Louisiana division (LAMFT), or the Louisiana Counseling Association (LCA) is automatically accepted. The Board does not pre-approve courses or providers, and CE is not required to come from pre-approved providers: activities from any other organization or individual may still count if they fall within an approved content area and are taught by a qualified presenter, subject to review by the advisory committee at renewal.
We turn every category, format limit, and one-time rule on this page into a live checklist on your Louisiana LMFT record, and reapply board changes automatically as they happen.
Track Louisiana LMFT CE free →Louisiana LMFT CE: frequently asked questions
How many CE hours do Louisiana LMFT licensees need?
Louisiana requires 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew a LMFT license. Biennial cycle: tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.
How many ethics hours are required for Louisiana LMFT licensees?
Of the total, 3 hours must be in ethics.
How often do Louisiana LMFT licensees renew?
Biennial cycle: tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.
Are there subject-specific CE requirements for Louisiana LMFT licensees?
Yes. In addition to ethics, Louisiana requires 6 hours of diagnosis.
Can Louisiana LMFT licensees complete CE online or by home study?
Up to 20 hours may be completed through home study / self-study. At least 20 hours must be earned live.
Sources & verification
- State source
- Louisiana board rule
- Last verified
- July 2026
- Ruleset version
- 2026.2
Reviewed against the Louisiana 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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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.
Louisiana mental health workforce data
21,407 active providers, or 463.5 per 100,000 residents, ranked 22 of 51. County density map and free CSV downloads.