Pennsylvania LPC Continuing Education Requirements
Pennsylvania counselors must complete 30 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew their LPC license, including 3 hours of ethics, 2 hours of child abuse recognition and reporting, and 1 hour of suicide prevention.
30
total hours / 2 years
3
ethics hours
2
child abuse recognition and reporting hours
1
suicide prevention hours
20
home study / self-study hours cap
Biennial · renewal date varies by licensee.
Pennsylvania LPC requirements
| Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|
| Total continuing education | 30 hours every 2 years. |
| Renewal | Biennial cycle: tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date. |
| Ethics | 3 hours required each cycle. |
| Child Abuse Recognition and Reporting | 2 hours required each cycle. |
| Suicide Prevention | 1 hour required each cycle. |
| Format limits | Up to 20 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, accredited university, and governmental agency and recognized associations in counseling, mft, social work, psychology, and nursing. |
| Board audit | The board may audit licensees to verify CE compliance. |
Full board policy details
- Up to 20 of the 30 clock hours may be obtained by home study (asynchronous/independent-study programs). At least 10 hours must therefore be from live or interactive formats. Live online webinars with real-time interaction count as live (not home study), so all 30 hours may be completed online provided at least 10 are synchronous.
- Home study courses must have defined learning objectives, an evaluation component, and the completion certificate must indicate that the course was home study. Courses lacking these structural elements do not qualify as acceptable home study CE.
- Only courses or programs offered by Board-approved providers will be accepted for continuing education credit. Pre-approved providers include NBCC, AAMFT, ACA, APA, ASWB ACE, and accredited universities, among others. Non-pre-approved courses require Board approval via application. Pre-approved providers listed in 49 Pa. Code § 49.36; other courses require individual approval under § 49.37.
- Course repeat restrictions: A licensee cannot take a course with the same name more than once in a single renewal cycle. For instructor credit, CE is awarded only for first-time experience as a teacher of a given course — teaching the same course again in the same cycle does not generate additional credit. Each unique self-directed activity (publication, presentation, etc.) is credited once.
- License status: Inactive or lapsed licensees do not need to earn CE while inactive. To reinstate, a licensee must show proof of compliance with the continuing education requirement for the preceding biennium (30 hours including the mandated topics) before reactivation. The Board may grant CE waivers or extensions on a case-by-case basis for serious illness, military service, or other documented hardship; requests must be submitted in writing with documentation.
- Multi-license credit reuse: A licensee who holds both an LPC and an LMFT (or another license under the same Board) may apply the same 30 CE hours to both renewals, provided the content is relevant to each scope. The Board's child-abuse training rule explicitly notes that one course counts for all licenses held.
- One-clock-hour courses are acceptable and will count for 1 CE hour. Fractional hours (e.g. quarter hours) reported by approved providers are accepted. There is no per-day or per-program cap and no single-provider cap.
- No conditional/provisional renewal is available for licensees short on CE. The only mechanism for a deficient cycle is a Board-approved hardship waiver or extension requested before renewal.
- Child-abuse recognition and reporting training waiver/exemption rules: The Board will NOT waive the 2-hour child-abuse CE requirement merely because a licensee does not work with or treat minors — all health-related licensees are mandatory reporters and the training is required universally. A licensee may, however, request an exemption in narrow circumstances: (a) where equivalent child-abuse recognition and reporting training was already completed under another Pennsylvania law or agency requirement (such training must be of equal or greater length and completed within the relevant time frame, with documentation submitted to the Board), or (b) where the Board, in its discretion, finds the training duplicative or unnecessary under the circumstances. Practice setting or client population alone is not a basis for exemption.
We turn all of this (every category, format limit, and one-time rule) into a live checklist on your Pennsylvania LPC record, and reapply board changes automatically as they happen.
Track Pennsylvania LPC CE free →Pennsylvania LPC CE: frequently asked questions
How many CE hours do Pennsylvania LPC licensees need?
Pennsylvania requires 30 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew a LPC license. Biennial cycle: tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.
How many ethics hours are required for Pennsylvania LPC licensees?
Of the total, 3 hours must be in ethics.
How often do Pennsylvania LPC licensees renew?
Biennial cycle: tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.
Are there subject-specific CE requirements for Pennsylvania LPC licensees?
Yes. In addition to ethics, Pennsylvania requires 2 hours of child abuse recognition and reporting, 1 hour of suicide prevention.
Can Pennsylvania LPC licensees complete CE online or by home study?
Up to 20 hours may be completed through home study / self-study.
Is the first renewal different for new Pennsylvania LPC 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
- Pennsylvania board rule
- Profession source
- NBCC continuing education guidance
- Last verified
- May 2026
- Ruleset version
- 2026.1
Reviewed against the Pennsylvania 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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