Missouri LMFT Continuing Education Requirements
Missouri marriage and family therapists must complete 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew their LMFT license, including 2 hours of suicide assessment.
40
total hours / 2 years
2
suicide assessment hours
Biennial renewal · calculating the next statewide deadline
Missouri LMFT requirements
| Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|
| Total continuing education | 40 hours every 2 years. |
| Renewal | Biennial cycle: CE due by February 28 of even years. |
| Suicide Assessment | 2 hours required each cycle. |
| Format limits | Up to 20 hours may be completed through home study / self-study. |
| Approved providers | Approved-provider examples apply to formal CE. Up to 20 self-study hours may be earned without provider approval, and the listed provider types and disciplines are illustrative rather than exclusive. |
| Recordkeeping | Keep CE documentation for 4 years after the end of each cycle. |
| Board audit | The board may audit licensees to verify CE compliance. |
| Late renewal | A late renewal allows a late fee. |
| Other mandates | For initial licensure after January 1, 2019, the 2-hour suicide assessment, referral, treatment, and management training must be completed as a one-time prerequisite and may be part of graduate coursework or self-study. This does not replace the recurring biennial suicide-training requirement. |
| Provisional renewal | The board allows a provisional/conditional renewal for up to 24 months before full compliance is required. Missouri does not provide a conditional or probationary renewal license for an LMFT who is short on CE. An extension or waiver must be requested in writing at least 30 days before expiration for good cause. A new licensee issued an initial license shortly before the fixed renewal date may request an extension if unable to complete all hours, but the relief is discretionary rather than an automatic proration. Otherwise the license expires and the person must cease practice until the requirements are met. The 24-month figure describes the late-renewal window before a new reinstatement application is required; it is not the duration of an extension. |
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
- continuing education workshop instructionmax 4 hrs
- faculty teachingmax 40 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.
Total hours
40 hours every 2 years.
Renewal
Biennial cycle: CE due by February 28 of even years.
Suicide Assessment
2 hours required each cycle.
Format limits
Up to 20 hours may be completed through home study / self-study.
Approved providers
Approved-provider examples apply to formal CE. Up to 20 self-study hours may be earned without provider approval, and the listed provider types and disciplines are illustrative rather than exclusive.
Recordkeeping
Keep CE documentation for 4 years after the end of each cycle.
Board audit
The board may audit licensees to verify CE compliance.
Late renewal
A late renewal allows a late fee.
Other mandates
For initial licensure after January 1, 2019, the 2-hour suicide assessment, referral, treatment, and management training must be completed as a one-time prerequisite and may be part of graduate coursework or self-study. This does not replace the recurring biennial suicide-training requirement.
Provisional renewal
The board allows a provisional/conditional renewal for up to 24 months before full compliance is required. Missouri does not provide a conditional or probationary renewal license for an LMFT who is short on CE. An extension or waiver must be requested in writing at least 30 days before expiration for good cause. A new licensee issued an initial license shortly before the fixed renewal date may request an extension if unable to complete all hours, but the relief is discretionary rather than an automatic proration. Otherwise the license expires and the person must cease practice until the requirements are met. The 24-month figure describes the late-renewal window before a new reinstatement application is required; it is not the duration of an extension.
Missouri LMFTrequired trainings & mandates
Beyond the 40-hour CE total, Missouri requires specific trainings — some once around initial licensure, some on their own recurring schedule.
Recurring mandates outside the 2 years cycle
- For initial licensure after January 1, 2019, the 2-hour suicide assessment, referral, treatment, and management training must be completed as a one-time prerequisite and may be part of graduate coursework or self-study. This does not replace the recurring biennial suicide-training requirement.
Full board policy details
- The fixed statewide biennial cycle ends with license expiration on February 28 of each even-numbered year. The next 24-month cycle begins March 1; it is not anchored to January 1.
- Of the 40 required biennial hours, at least 20 must be formal continuing education (structured programs from approved sponsors, documented by a certificate of completion). Up to 20 hours may be self-study (reading professional books or journals, viewing or listening to relevant media, or preparing presentations for the public). Online courses from approved providers count as formal CE if a certificate is issued, so all 40 hours may be earned online. "Formal" does not mean live or in person, and there is no live-attendance minimum. Conference attendance yields 3 hours of credit per full day of attendance.
- COURSE REPEAT RESTRICTIONS: A presenter earns credit for a given subject matter only once per renewal period; no credit is granted for a subsequent presentation on the same subject matter during that renewal period. Teaching formal CE seminars is capped at 4 hours per biennium. Teaching at an academic institution is capped at 20 hours per year (40 per cycle). Publication activities have specified credit values (3 hours for a non-refereed article, 6 for a refereed article, 8 per book chapter, and up to 15 for authoring a book), and each work may be claimed only once. The rule does not impose a 15-hour aggregate publication cap per cycle.
- LICENSE STATUS RULES: Missouri does not offer a formal inactive or retired status that exempts an LMFT from CE. A non-practicing licensee may allow the license to lapse. A license expired 61 days to 2 years may be renewed late with penalties, but all required CE, including 2 hours of suicide assessment, referral, treatment, and management training, must be completed before renewal. After 2 years, reinstatement requires a new application with proof of the required CE completed within the two years immediately before reinstatement. A licensee unable to complete CE due to personal illness, military service, or other circumstances beyond the licensee's control may apply in writing at least 30 days before expiration for an extension of time or a waiver, granted at the committee's discretion.
- FIRST RENEWAL: A newly licensed LMFT whose initial license was issued shortly before the fixed February 28 renewal date may request a discretionary extension if there is not enough time to complete all required CE hours. The rule does not establish automatic proration or an automatic first-renewal exemption; the licensee must request relief from the committee.
- Dual license holders, such as an LMFT who also holds another Missouri license, may cross-count the same CE hours toward both licenses when the content is relevant to marriage and family therapy and was earned within the applicable timeframe.
We turn every category, format limit, and one-time rule on this page into a live checklist on your Missouri LMFT record, and reapply board changes automatically as they happen.
Track Missouri LMFT CE free →Missouri LMFT CE: frequently asked questions
How many CE hours do Missouri LMFT licensees need?
Missouri requires 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew a LMFT license. Biennial cycle: CE due by February 28 of even years.
How often do Missouri LMFT licensees renew?
Biennial cycle: CE due by February 28 of even years.
Are there subject-specific CE requirements for Missouri LMFT licensees?
Yes. In addition to ethics, Missouri requires 2 hours of suicide assessment.
Can Missouri LMFT licensees complete CE online or by home study?
Up to 20 hours may be completed through home study / self-study.
Sources & verification
- State source
- Missouri board rule
- Last verified
- July 2026
- Ruleset version
- 2026.2
Reviewed against the Missouri 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 Missouri 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 recordMissouriguides & 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.
Missouri mental health workforce data
21,153 active providers, or 337.3 per 100,000 residents, ranked 38 of 51. County density map and free CSV downloads.
Other Missouri CE requirement pages
LMFT CE requirements in other states
AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming