Tennessee LPC & LPC-MHSP Continuing Education Requirements
Tennessee counselors must complete 20 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew their LPC / LPC-MHSP license, including 3 hours of ethics and jurisprudence.
20
total hours / 2 years
3
ethics and jurisprudence hours
Biennial · renewal date depends on the licensee's birth month.
Tennessee LPC & LPC-MHSP requirements
| Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|
| Total continuing education | 20 hours every 2 years. |
| Renewal | Biennial cycle: renews at the end of your birth month. |
| Ethics and Jurisprudence | 3 hours required each cycle. |
| 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, governmental agency, and credentialing body and recognized associations in counseling and mft. |
| Recordkeeping | Keep CE documentation for 4 years after each renewal. |
| Board audit | The board may audit licensees to verify CE compliance. |
| Late renewal | A late renewal allows a 30-day grace period after expiration and a late fee. |
Total hours
20 hours every 2 years.
Renewal
Biennial cycle: renews at the end of your birth month.
Ethics and Jurisprudence
3 hours required each cycle.
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, governmental agency, and credentialing body and recognized associations in counseling and mft.
Recordkeeping
Keep CE documentation for 4 years after each renewal.
Board audit
The board may audit licensees to verify CE compliance.
Late renewal
A late renewal allows a 30-day grace period after expiration and a late fee.
Full board policy details
- Multi-media (internet, correspondence, video, audio, CD-ROM, DVD, teleconference, videoconference, and other distance-learning formats requiring a written post-experience examination) is capped at 10 hours per biennial cycle for a single license. The cap rises to 15 hours for licensees holding two of this Board's licenses (e.g. LPC + LMFT) and 20 hours for those holding three (LPC + LMFT + LCPT). Live interactive webinars and traditional classroom/lecture formats are not capped.
- No CE is required during the calendar year in which the license was initially approved. New licensees are effectively exempt from CE for that partial first year; the standard biennial requirement applies thereafter.
- Suicide-prevention exemption for new licensees: an applicant for initial licensure on or after January 1, 2020 who completed a qualifying two-hour academic suicide-prevention training within the two years prior to licensure is not required to complete a separate suicide-prevention CE for two years (their first renewal cycle) after the date of initial licensure. Encoded structurally via applies_when on the suicide_prevention requirement (suppressed when this is the licensee's first renewal AND proof of the academic training was submitted at licensure).
- Teaching, presenting, publishing, holding office, board/committee participation, business meetings, banquet speeches, and routine job duties do NOT qualify for CE credit in Tennessee. Only attendance at approved educational programs (and qualifying academic coursework from accredited institutions) counts.
- Repeating an identical CE course within the same renewal cycle is not explicitly prohibited by rule, but the Board treats each CE hour as a unique educational experience; identical content taken twice in a cycle is generally not credited twice.
- Inactive/retired status: a licensee in retired status is exempt from CE during retirement. To reactivate within one year of retirement, the licensee must complete the CE that would have been required had the license remained active. To reactivate after more than one year of retirement, the licensee must show 10 hours of CE completed in the 12 months immediately preceding reactivation. CE completed for reactivation cannot also be counted toward the next renewal cycle. The Board may waive or modify reactivation CE upon written request in emergency circumstances.
- Reinstating an expired license: the licensee must show CE equal to what would have been required had the license remained active, completed within the 12 months immediately preceding the reinstatement application, plus any late fees.
- License revoked for CE noncompliance: a license revoked for failure to comply with the continuing-education requirement may be reinstated only after the licensee completes the required CE hours. Completing the missed CE hours is a positive condition of reinstatement eligibility.
- Hardship waiver/extension: the Board may waive or extend the CE requirement for a given renewal cycle if compliance is beyond the physical or mental capabilities of the licensee. A written request with supporting documentation must be submitted before December 31 of the year CE is due. Waivers apply only to the cycle for which they are granted.
- For licensees holding multiple licenses under this Board (LPC + LMFT or LPC + LMFT + LCPT), at least 10 of the required CE hours must pertain to each field of licensure. The 3-hour ethics/jurisprudence requirement is a single 3 hours total — not 3 per license.
We turn all of this (every category, format limit, and one-time rule) into a live checklist on your Tennessee LPC / LPC-MHSP record, and reapply board changes automatically as they happen.
Track Tennessee LPC / LPC-MHSP CE free →Tennessee LPC & LPC-MHSP CE: frequently asked questions
How many CE hours do Tennessee LPC / LPC-MHSP licensees need?
Tennessee requires 20 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew a LPC / LPC-MHSP license. Biennial cycle: renews at the end of your birth month.
How many ethics hours are required for Tennessee LPC / LPC-MHSP licensees?
Of the total, 3 hours must be in ethics and jurisprudence.
How often do Tennessee LPC / LPC-MHSP licensees renew?
Biennial cycle: renews at the end of your birth month.
Is the first renewal different for new Tennessee LPC / LPC-MHSP 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
- Tennessee board rule
- Profession source
- NBCC continuing education guidance
- Last verified
- May 2026
- Ruleset version
- 2026.1
Reviewed against the Tennessee 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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