Mississippi LMFT Continuing Education Requirements
Mississippi marriage and family therapists must complete 24 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew their LMFT license, including 4 hours of ethics.
24
total hours / 2 years
4
ethics hours
Biennial · renewal date varies by licensee.
Mississippi LMFT requirements
| Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|
| Total continuing education | 24 hours every 2 years. |
| Renewal | Biennial cycle: tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date. |
| Ethics | 4 hours required each cycle. |
| Format limits | Up to 12 hours may be completed through home study / self-study. |
| Format limits | At least 2 hours of ethics must be earned in person. |
| New licensees | First renewal is different: new licensees have adjusted first-cycle requirements (proration and/or first-cycle-only rules), which we apply automatically. |
| Approved providers | Qualifying CE may be offered or sponsored by national professional association, board approved sponsor, and accredited university and recognized associations in mft. |
| Board audit | The board may audit licensees to verify CE compliance. |
| Late renewal | A late renewal allows a 30-day grace period after expiration and a late fee. |
| Provisional renewal | The board allows a provisional/conditional renewal for up to 6 months before full compliance is required. Board may conditionally renew a CE-deficient license, allowing 6 months (extendable up to 12 months for hardship) to complete missing hours. Makeup hours cannot be applied to any other renewal; failure to complete moves the license to inactive status. |
Limits on how the hours are earned
Board caps and floors on where the 24 hours can come from.
- home study / self-studymax 12 hrs
- ethics via in personmin 2 hrs
- academic teachingmax 12 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
- Renewal cycle: LMFT licenses renew biennially and expire on September 30 of the license's expiration year (the common month/day expiration date; the year is staggered across odd/even years by the license's original issuance date). The 24-hour CE requirement is measured over the two-year cycle ending on that September 30 expiration date, which is why the cycle is anchored to each license's expiration date rather than a single statewide year.
- No more than 12 of the 24 hours (50%) may be earned via distance learning/internet (online) courses; at least 12 hours must be in-person/face-to-face. Self-directed learning projects count within the same 12-hour distance-learning cap.
- Of the 4 required ethics hours, at least 2 must be earned live/in-person, so no more than 2 may be earned outside live/in-person delivery. The Board approves self-directed learning projects and/or distance learning/internet (online) courses for up to 2 of the 4 required ethics hours — so up to 2 ethics hours may be satisfied via online courses and/or INDEPENDENT self-directed learning projects. Supervised self-directed learning GROUPS, however, do NOT earn ethics credit; the up-to-2 self-directed ethics allowance applies to independent self-directed projects only.
- Board-approved supervisors must complete 2 hours of MFT supervision CE each renewal period (counts within the 24-hour total). No supervision CE is required for the first renewal period after obtaining Board-approved supervisor status. The Board approves self-directed learning projects and/or distance learning/internet (online) courses for up to 2 of the supervision CE hours; since supervision is only 2 hours, the requirement may be satisfied entirely through online courses and/or self-directed learning projects.
- Academic coursework: one graduate semester hour (grade B or better, regionally accredited program relevant to MFT) equals 5 CE hours. Teaching a graduate-level MFT course yields 3 CE hours per credit hour taught, capped at 12 hours per biennial period.
- Up to 8 CE hours per renewal period may be earned through a Board-approved supervised self-directed learning group; these fall within the 12-hour distance/self-directed cap. Supervised self-directed learning group hours count toward the general 24-hour total but are NOT awarded for the ethics requirement (unlike independent self-directed learning projects, which may fill up to 2 ethics hours).
- Course repeat restriction: if the same offering is presented multiple times during the two-year renewal period, CE credit may only be counted the first time the offering was presented. Identical content repeated does not earn new credit in the same cycle.
- License status: LMFTs granted inactive status are excused from renewal fees and CE while inactive and may not practice. To reactivate (within 2 years of going inactive), the licensee must complete the 24 hours of CE for the two-year period immediately prior to reactivation. Licenses inactive/lapsed more than 2 years cannot be renewed or reinstated and require a new application.
- The Board may grant CE waivers or extensions for documented hardship (severe illness, disability, military service, or other good cause) solely at its discretion, for the specific biennial period only. A waiver or extension must be requested in writing, must explain the reasons for the request, must be sworn to be truthful, and must be accompanied by supporting documentation. Extensions are granted in 6-month increments up to a maximum of one year. Consecutive-period waivers/extensions are not permitted except for military combat/national-emergency service. There is NO exam substitution — the LMFT license cannot be renewed by re-taking the national exam in lieu of CE.
We turn every category, format limit, and one-time rule on this page into a live checklist on your Mississippi LMFT record, and reapply board changes automatically as they happen.
Track Mississippi LMFT CE free →Mississippi LMFT CE: frequently asked questions
How many CE hours do Mississippi LMFT licensees need?
Mississippi requires 24 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 Mississippi LMFT licensees?
Of the total, 4 hours must be in ethics.
How often do Mississippi LMFT licensees renew?
Biennial cycle: tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.
Can Mississippi LMFT licensees complete CE online or by home study?
Up to 12 hours may be completed through home study / self-study. At least 2 hours of ethics must be earned in person.
Is the first renewal different for new Mississippi LMFT licensees?
First renewal is different: new licensees have adjusted first-cycle requirements (proration and/or first-cycle-only rules), which we apply automatically.
Sources & verification
- State source
- Mississippi board rule
- Last verified
- July 2026
- Ruleset version
- 2026.2
Reviewed against the Mississippi 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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