New Hampshire LCMHC Continuing Education Requirements
New Hampshire counselors must complete 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew their LCMHC license, including 6 hours of ethics and 3 hours of suicide prevention.
40
total hours / 2 years
6
ethics hours
3
suicide prevention hours
20
home study / self-study hours cap
Biennial · renewal date depends on the licensee's issue date.
New Hampshire LCMHC requirements
| Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|
| Total continuing education | 40 hours every 2 years. |
| Renewal | Biennial cycle: counted from your license anniversary. |
| Ethics | 6 hours required each cycle. |
| Suicide Prevention | 3 hours required each cycle. |
| Format limits | Up to 20 hours may be completed through home study / self-study. |
| Approved providers | Qualifying CE may be offered or sponsored by national professional association and recognized associations in counseling, mft, social work, psychology, and psychiatry. |
| Board audit | The board may audit licensees to verify CE compliance. |
| Late renewal | A late renewal allows a 180-day grace period after expiration and a late fee. |
| Other mandates | Each licensee shall complete 40 hours of collaboration every 2 years (peer consultation, study groups, supervision, interdisciplinary case discussions). These hours do NOT count toward the 40-hour CE requirement and must be attested to separately at renewal. |
Total hours
40 hours every 2 years.
Renewal
Biennial cycle: counted from your license anniversary.
Ethics
6 hours required each cycle.
Suicide Prevention
3 hours required each cycle.
Format limits
Up to 20 hours may be completed through home study / self-study.
Approved providers
Qualifying CE may be offered or sponsored by national professional association and recognized associations in counseling, mft, social work, psychology, and psychiatry.
Board audit
The board may audit licensees to verify CE compliance.
Late renewal
A late renewal allows a 180-day grace period after expiration and a late fee.
Other mandates
Each licensee shall complete 40 hours of collaboration every 2 years (peer consultation, study groups, supervision, interdisciplinary case discussions). These hours do NOT count toward the 40-hour CE requirement and must be attested to separately at renewal.
Full board policy details
- At least 30 of the 40 CE hours must be Category A (approved by a recognized professional organization such as APA, NASW, NBCC, AAMFT, ACA, AMA, AMHCA, or ASWB). No more than 10 hours may be Category B (non-approved/self-directed).
- The 6 required ethics CE hours must be earned from Category A (approved-provider) sources — i.e., courses approved by a recognized national professional organization (APA, NASW, NBCC, AAMFT, ACA, AMA, AMHCA, or ASWB). Ethics hours completed as Category B (non-approved/self-directed) do not satisfy the ethics requirement.
- The 3 required suicide-prevention CE hours must be earned from Category A (approved-provider) sources. Category B (non-approved/self-directed) suicide-prevention hours do not satisfy the suicide-prevention requirement.
- Up to 20 of the 40 CE hours may be home-study; at least 20 hours must be live (in-person or live interactive webinars count as live).
- Course repeat restrictions: instructors receive CE credit only for first-time preparation/teaching of a new course (10 CEs) or thorough updating of an existing course (5 CEs). Repeating identical course content without substantial changes does not earn additional credit. Licensees should not claim duplicate CE courses within the same renewal cycle.
- Publication caps are category-specific: a peer-reviewed journal article approved under Category A earns up to 6 CE hours per year, while a journal article counted under Category B earns up to 5 CE hours per year (these are not stackable — a given article is counted under one category). The structured publication_journal_cap encodes the 6-hour/year ceiling; Category B journal hours additionally fall under the overall 10-hour Category B cycle cap. Authored books are capped separately at 10 CE hours per cycle.
- License status rules: licensees on inactive status are exempt from CE during the inactive period but must pay an annual inactive fee to maintain inactive status. To reactivate from inactive status or reinstate an expired license (within 6 months), the licensee must document 40 CE hours (including 6 ethics and 3 suicide prevention) completed within the 2 years prior to the application. Retired practitioners are effectively CE-exempt while not licensed. CE hardship waivers may be granted by the Board if requested at least 60 days before expiration for serious illness, disability, family emergency, or extreme financial hardship.
- Active-duty military accommodation: a licensee serving on active duty in the armed forces may switch the license to inactive status and has up to one year after returning from active duty to reactivate the license without penalty. This accommodation is separate from the standard inactive-status pathway and from the Board's discretionary CE hardship-waiver process.
- Supervisor pre-requisite (one-time, not recurring): clinicians intending to supervise must complete 12 CE hours in clinical supervision (Category A) plus a graduate course or certificate in supervision prior to entering the supervision relationship. This is a one-time qualifier, not a recurring CE mandate.
- No first-renewal exemption or proration: new licensees must complete the full 40-hour requirement (including 6 ethics and 3 suicide prevention) in their initial 24-month cycle.
- Dual-license credit reuse: a licensee holding both LCMHC and LMFT may use a single 40-hour CE portfolio to satisfy both license renewals, as evidenced by the combined dual renewal fee.
We turn all of this (every category, format limit, and one-time rule) into a live checklist on your New Hampshire LCMHC record, and reapply board changes automatically as they happen.
Track New Hampshire LCMHC CE free →New Hampshire LCMHC CE: frequently asked questions
How many CE hours do New Hampshire LCMHC licensees need?
New Hampshire requires 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew a LCMHC license. Biennial cycle: counted from your license anniversary.
How many ethics hours are required for New Hampshire LCMHC licensees?
Of the total, 6 hours must be in ethics.
How often do New Hampshire LCMHC licensees renew?
Biennial cycle: counted from your license anniversary.
Are there subject-specific CE requirements for New Hampshire LCMHC licensees?
Yes. In addition to ethics, New Hampshire requires 3 hours of suicide prevention.
Can New Hampshire LCMHC licensees complete CE online or by home study?
Up to 20 hours may be completed through home study / self-study.
Sources & verification
- State source
- New Hampshire board rule
- Profession source
- NBCC continuing education guidance
- Last verified
- May 2026
- Ruleset version
- 2026.1
Reviewed against the New Hampshire 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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