Connecticut LPC & LPC-A Continuing Education Requirements
Connecticut counselors must complete 15 continuing education hours per year to renew their LPC / LPC-A license, including 3 hours of professional ethics and 1 hour of cultural competency.
15
total hours / year
1
cultural competency hours
3
professional ethics hours
3
home study / self-study hours cap
Annual · renewal date depends on the licensee's birth month.
Connecticut LPC & LPC-A requirements
| Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|
| Total continuing education | 15 hours per year. |
| Renewal | Annual cycle: renews at the end of your birth month. |
| Professional Ethics | 3 hours required each cycle. |
| Cultural Competency | 1 hour required each cycle. |
| Format limits | Up to 3 hours may be completed through home study / self-study. |
| 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, regional professional association, state professional association, accredited university, and governmental agency and recognized associations in counseling, mft, social work, and psychology. |
| Recordkeeping | Keep CE documentation for 3 years after each renewal. |
| Board audit | The board may audit licensees to verify CE compliance. |
Full board policy details
- CE activities must be either face-to-face live instruction or an approved home-study program that includes a proficiency examination and is offered or approved by a recognized professional organization (NBCC, ACA, AAMFT, NASW/ASWB, APA, their affiliates), a regionally accredited academic institution, or a qualifying CT state agency. No percentage cap on home-study; purely online education is acceptable if it meets these standards. Casual self-study (reading books/journals on one's own) and unstructured audio-visual materials do not count unless integrated into an approved home-study program with an evaluation mechanism.
- No more than 12 contact hours may be earned in any 24-hour period.
- Courses focused on practice management, marketing, or business operations are capped at 3 hours per renewal period.
- Course repeat restrictions: A licensee may claim 5 contact hours for the first presentation of an original paper or formal lecture (no credit for re-presenting the same material) and 6 contact hours for the first publication of an original peer-reviewed paper. The same CE course or activity cannot be counted twice within a single renewal period. Excess hours do not carry forward to a subsequent registration period.
- License status rules: A licensee not engaged in active practice may request a CE waiver from DPH before the license expires (notarized form, attestation not to practice until CE is completed). To return to active practice from a waiver or to reinstate a lapsed license, the licensee must complete the CE hours that would have been required during the waived/lapsed period(s) before resuming practice. CE is not required during the period a license is inactive/lapsed, but catch-up hours are required at reactivation. DPH may grant CE extensions or waivers for medical disability/illness (with physician verification) for up to one year at a time, renewable upon reapplication. No conditional active license category exists — CE must be complete or a waiver/extension approved before renewal.
- Active military duty protection (CGS 19a-88b): A license that expires while the holder is engaged in active military service is not voided by CE deficiencies attributable to that service. Upon return from active duty, the licensee may renew without CE penalty for the cycle(s) affected by deployment, and the license is protected from lapse during the period of active service. This is a statutory protection — no board petition or pre-deployment waiver request is required, though the licensee should provide documentation of active-duty dates at renewal. Distinct from the inactive-practice waiver and the medical- disability extension described above; military protection runs by operation of statute, not board discretion.
We turn all of this (every category, format limit, and one-time rule) into a live checklist on your Connecticut LPC / LPC-A record, and reapply board changes automatically as they happen.
Track Connecticut LPC / LPC-A CE free →Connecticut LPC & LPC-A CE: frequently asked questions
How many CE hours do Connecticut LPC / LPC-A licensees need?
Connecticut requires 15 continuing education hours per year to renew a LPC / LPC-A license. Annual cycle: renews at the end of your birth month.
How many ethics hours are required for Connecticut LPC / LPC-A licensees?
Of the total, 3 hours must be in professional ethics.
How often do Connecticut LPC / LPC-A licensees renew?
Annual cycle: renews at the end of your birth month.
Are there subject-specific CE requirements for Connecticut LPC / LPC-A licensees?
Yes. In addition to ethics, Connecticut requires 1 hour of cultural competency.
Can Connecticut LPC / LPC-A licensees complete CE online or by home study?
Up to 3 hours may be completed through home study / self-study.
Is the first renewal different for new Connecticut LPC / LPC-A 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
- Connecticut board rule
- Profession source
- NBCC continuing education guidance
- Last verified
- May 2026
- Ruleset version
- 2026.1
Reviewed against the Connecticut 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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