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
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 30 hours may be completed through home study / self-study. |
| Approved providers | Qualifying CE may be offered or sponsored by national professional association, international professional association, regional professional association, and state 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. |
Limits on how the hours are earned
Board caps and floors on where the 40 hours can come from.
- home study / self-studymax 30 hrs
- first time presentationmax 10 hrs per activity
- teaching updatemax 5 hrs per activity
- peer reviewed bookmax 10 hrs per activity
- peer reviewed journal articlemax 6 hrs per activity
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.
New Hampshire LCMHCrequired trainings & mandates
Beyond the 40-hour CE total, New Hampshire requires specific trainings — some once around initial licensure, some on their own recurring schedule.
Recurring mandates outside the 2 years cycle
- 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 30 of the 40 CE hours may be home study under the rule effective August 19, 2025. Live, interactive webinars are also Category A activities.
- Instructor credit is available 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 instructor credit.
- Publication credit is category-specific: each peer-reviewed Category A journal article counts as 6 CE hours and a peer-reviewed Category A book counts as 10. Category B books count as 6 hours, and Category B journal articles are limited to 5 hours per year. Category B credit also remains subject to the overall 10-hour cycle cap.
- 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.
- Board-approved supervisors must complete at least 6 Category A CE hours in clinical supervision as part of the 40-hour biennial total.
- 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 every category, format limit, and one-time rule on this page 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 30 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
- August 2026
- Ruleset version
- 2026.2
Reviewed against the New Hampshire 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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