Alabama LPC & ALC Continuing Education Requirements
Alabama counselors must complete 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew their LPC / ALC license, including 6 hours of ethics and 2 hours of telehealth.
40
total hours / 2 years
6
ethics hours
2
telehealth hours
20
home study / self-study hours cap
20
live hours minimum
Biennial · renewal date varies by licensee.
Alabama LPC & ALC requirements
| Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|
| Total continuing education | 40 hours every 2 years. |
| Renewal | Biennial cycle: tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date. |
| Ethics | 6 hours required each cycle. |
| Telehealth | 2 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. |
| Approved providers | Qualifying CE may be offered or sponsored by national professional association, state professional association, accredited university, and governmental agency and recognized associations in counseling and psychology. |
| Recordkeeping | Keep CE documentation for 2 years after each course's completion date. |
| One-time requirements | One-time 3-hour CE training in diagnostic categories and treatment of mental disorders. Required for renewals submitted on or after January 1, 2024. The 3 hours count toward the 40-hour total in the cycle the training is taken; proof of completion must be retained. (3 hours, one time). |
Total hours
40 hours every 2 years.
Renewal
Biennial cycle: tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.
Ethics
6 hours required each cycle.
Telehealth
2 hours required each cycle.
Format limits
Up to 20 hours may be completed through home study / self-study.
At least 20 hours must be earned live.
Approved providers
Qualifying CE may be offered or sponsored by national professional association, state professional association, accredited university, and governmental agency and recognized associations in counseling and psychology.
Recordkeeping
Keep CE documentation for 2 years after each course's completion date.
One-time requirements
One-time 3-hour CE training in diagnostic categories and treatment of mental disorders. Required for renewals submitted on or after January 1, 2024. The 3 hours count toward the 40-hour total in the cycle the training is taken; proof of completion must be retained. (3 hours, one time).
Full board policy details
- LPCs and ALCs: At least 50% (20 of 40 hours) of CE must be live/real-time interactive. Up to 50% (20 hours) may be asynchronous/self-study. Live-interactive online (e.g. webinars) counts as real-time interactive.
- Self-study/asynchronous CE is capped at 20 hours (50%) per cycle.
- Approved providers: ABEC does not approve individual courses. Only courses approved by NBCC or CRCC, or sponsored by acceptable organizations (NAADAC, ASCA, APA, Alabama DMH, regionally accredited universities, etc.) are accepted for renewal CE. All CE must come from NBCC- or CRCC-approved providers or from other acceptable agencies listed in the ABEC CE Policy.
- Single-program / single-provider cap: No single CE program may supply more than 20 of the 40 required hours in a renewal cycle. (Not enforced structurally because credit metadata does not record program identity.)
- Course-repeat restrictions: A maximum of 10 hours per cycle may be earned via presenting, publishing, or professional-service activities. Repeated presentations of the same material in the same cycle earn no additional credit. Independent/self-study activities are capped at 20 hours per cycle. The same course may not be credited twice within one renewal cycle (also enforced via credit_admissibility.no_repeat_courses_per_cycle).
- Board-approved supervisors must complete at least 3 hours of CE in supervision theory or skills biennially. These 3 hours count toward the 40-hour total and are not in addition to it.
- Technology-assisted counseling/supervision: Beginning January 1, 2025, each licensee must obtain a minimum of 2 hours per renewal cycle in the ethical practice of technology-assisted counseling or supervision. This applies to all licensees regardless of whether they practice telehealth, counts toward the 40-hour total, and (because it is an ethics subtopic) may also satisfy part of the 6-hour ethics requirement when the credit is tagged with both categories.
- Diagnostic-categories training: By the first renewal under this rule, a licensee must document a one-time 3-hour CE training in diagnostic categories and treatment of mental disorders. Required for renewals submitted on or after January 1, 2024. The 3 hours count toward the 40-hour total in the cycle the training is taken.
- No proration / first renewal: Alabama does not prorate or waive CE for newly licensed LPCs/ALCs in their first renewal cycle — the full 40-hour biennial CE requirement applies at the first renewal.
- License status — inactive/reactivation: Alabama does not require ongoing CE while on inactive status. To reactivate (LPC or ALC), the licensee must have completed 40 CE hours (including 6 ethics) within the 24 months immediately preceding the reactivation request. No provisional/conditional renewal is permitted for insufficient CE.
- License status — retired/emeritus: Licensees on Retired/Emeritus status are not required to complete CE and do not renew under this CE rule.
- Hardship waivers/extensions: The Board may grant CE waivers or extensions for serious illness, disability, military deployment, or other substantial hardship. A written request with supporting documentation must be submitted to the Board before the renewal deadline.
We turn all of this (every category, format limit, and one-time rule) into a live checklist on your Alabama LPC / ALC record, and reapply board changes automatically as they happen.
Track Alabama LPC / ALC CE free →Alabama LPC & ALC CE: frequently asked questions
How many CE hours do Alabama LPC / ALC licensees need?
Alabama requires 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew a LPC / ALC license. Biennial cycle: tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.
How many ethics hours are required for Alabama LPC / ALC licensees?
Of the total, 6 hours must be in ethics.
How often do Alabama LPC / ALC licensees renew?
Biennial cycle: tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.
Are there subject-specific CE requirements for Alabama LPC / ALC licensees?
Yes. In addition to ethics, Alabama requires 2 hours of telehealth.
Can Alabama LPC / ALC 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
- Alabama board rule
- Profession source
- NBCC continuing education guidance
- Last verified
- May 2026
- Ruleset version
- 2026.2
Reviewed against the Alabama board source and refreshed from the compiled ruleset above. Methodology and disclaimer. Compliance data is informational only and not legal or board advice. Always verify requirements with your licensing board before you renew. See something wrong? Report it →
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