Kentucky Psychologist Continuing Education Requirements
Kentucky psychologists must complete 39 continuing education hours every 3 years to renew their Psychologist license, including 3 hours of ethics or risk management and 3 hours of social and cultural factors.
39
total hours / 3 years
3
ethics or risk management hours
3
social and cultural factors hours
Triennial · renewal date depends on the licensee's issue date.
Kentucky Psychologist requirements
| Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|
| Total continuing education | 39 hours every 3 years. |
| Renewal | Triennial cycle: counted from your license anniversary. |
| Renewal fee | $795 board renewal fee every 3 years; a late (delinquent) renewal adds a $100 fee. |
| Ethics or Risk Management | 3 hours required each cycle. |
| Social and Cultural Factors | 3 hours required each cycle. |
| Carryover | Up to 0% of hours can carry into the next 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 state professional association, regional professional association, national professional association, international professional association, state licensing board, licensing board other jurisdiction, and accredited university. |
| Board audit | The board may audit licensees to verify CE compliance. |
| Late renewal | A late renewal allows a 90-day grace period after expiration and a $100 late fee. |
| Other mandates | A minimum of 6 hours of continuing education in suicide assessment, treatment, and management within the first year of licensure and every six years thereafter, as required by KRS 210.366. These hours count toward the 39-hour CE total. Exempt for the first six years if a qualifying 3-semester-hour graduate course in suicide and crisis assessment, prevention, and intervention was completed during graduate education. Ongoing exemptions apply where the licensee is primarily employed in a Joint Commission (or similarly accredited) clinical setting requiring suicide risk assessment with each patient, teaches a graduate-level psychology course on the subject, or teaches a CE course on the subject at least once during the six-year period. |
Limits on how the hours are earned
Board caps and floors on where the 39 hours can come from.
- teaching activitymax 9 hrs
- home studymax 39 hrs
- interactive videoconferencingmax 39 hrs
- carryovermax 0%
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.
Total hours
39 hours every 3 years.
Renewal
Triennial cycle: counted from your license anniversary.
Renewal fee
$795 board renewal fee every 3 years; a late (delinquent) renewal adds a $100 fee.
Ethics or Risk Management
3 hours required each cycle.
Social and Cultural Factors
3 hours required each cycle.
Carryover
Up to 0% of hours can carry into the next 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 state professional association, regional professional association, national professional association, international professional association, state licensing board, licensing board other jurisdiction, and accredited university.
Board audit
The board may audit licensees to verify CE compliance.
Late renewal
A late renewal allows a 90-day grace period after expiration and a $100 late fee.
Other mandates
A minimum of 6 hours of continuing education in suicide assessment, treatment, and management within the first year of licensure and every six years thereafter, as required by KRS 210.366. These hours count toward the 39-hour CE total. Exempt for the first six years if a qualifying 3-semester-hour graduate course in suicide and crisis assessment, prevention, and intervention was completed during graduate education. Ongoing exemptions apply where the licensee is primarily employed in a Joint Commission (or similarly accredited) clinical setting requiring suicide risk assessment with each patient, teaches a graduate-level psychology course on the subject, or teaches a CE course on the subject at least once during the six-year period.
Kentucky Psychologistrequired trainings & mandates
Beyond the 39-hour CE total, Kentucky requires specific trainings — some once around initial licensure, some on their own recurring schedule.
Recurring mandates outside the 3 years cycle
- A minimum of 6 hours of continuing education in suicide assessment, treatment, and management within the first year of licensure and every six years thereafter, as required by KRS 210.366. These hours count toward the 39-hour CE total. Exempt for the first six years if a qualifying 3-semester-hour graduate course in suicide and crisis assessment, prevention, and intervention was completed during graduate education. Ongoing exemptions apply where the licensee is primarily employed in a Joint Commission (or similarly accredited) clinical setting requiring suicide risk assessment with each patient, teaches a graduate-level psychology course on the subject, or teaches a CE course on the subject at least once during the six-year period.
Full board policy details
- FORMAT CAPS/MINIMUMS: As of the 2026-02-12 amendment, there is NO cap on home study/internet-based courses and NO cap on interactive videoconferencing participation (the former 12-hour home-study cap and 24-hour interactive videoconferencing cap were removed by 52 Ky.R. 861). No minimum live/in-person hours are required. Attendance at a board-approved CE program, home study/internet courses, and interactive videoconferencing are all credited 1 CE hour per 55-minute clock hour. A CE hour is a 55-minute clock hour of instruction.
- COURSE REPEAT RESTRICTIONS: A person teaching an academic course or an approved CE workshop/program shall not receive credit more than once for teaching a particular course/workshop/program during a renewal period, and shall not receive more than 9 total CE hours for these teaching activities (201 KAR 26:175 §7). A person completing home study/internet courses shall not receive credit for repeating a specific study course during a renewal period. Program approval permits a sponsor to offer a program one time; re-offering the same approved program requires a renewal filing and a $10 fee.
- LICENSE STATUS RULES: Inactive credential holders are NOT exempt from CE. Under 201 KAR 26:165, an inactive credential holder is relieved of the renewal fee and supervision obligations but shall continue to meet the CE requirements. Inactive status may be granted for up to three consecutive years (KRS 319.071(3)). Reactivation within the three-year window requires notification, payment of the current renewal fee, resumption of any required supervisory relationship, and demonstration of compliance with all CE requirements during the inactive period. If not reactivated within three years, the credential is forfeited and a new application and reexamination are required. Any credential holder who has failed to renew, or has been inactive for three or more years, may renew only upon passing an examination procedure and paying the renewal and penalty fees. There is no separate retired status. No hardship, illness, military, or disability CE waivers or extensions exist in the psychology rules.
- ACCEPTABILITY STANDARDS: All 39 hours must be board-approved. The board automatically accepts programs sponsored by an affiliated state chapter of the American Psychological Association, American Medical Association, American Psychiatric Association, or National Association of Social Workers; a recognized state, regional, national, or international psychological association; a state or provincial psychology licensure board; and graduate-level academic courses in psychology or psychiatry offered by a nationally, regionally, or state accredited academic institution. The board may also approve a non-listed organization as a sponsor for a 12-month period (application + fee) or approve a specific program. Kentucky uses qualifying-organization classes plus direct approval — there are no lettered provider tiers (Category A/B). No carryover of CE hours in excess of those required is permitted into the following renewal period (201 KAR 26:175 §8).
- SUPERVISION TIMING: The recurring 3-hour supervision-theory/techniques requirement begins with the renewal period immediately after the period in which the original supervisory training under 201 KAR 26:171 §4(1)-(2) was received. Select the supervision_after_initial_training modality only from that subsequent period onward.
- CREDENTIAL SCOPE: Certified Psychologist, Licensed Psychological Associate, Certified Psychologist with Autonomous Functioning, Licensed Psychological Practitioner, and Licensed Psychologist are all legally governed by the same 201 KAR 26:175 CE regulation. They remain distinct credentials; this product record is keyed only to the independent Licensed Psychologist credential and does not represent the others as CE-exempt.
We turn every category, format limit, and one-time rule on this page into a live checklist on your Kentucky Psychologist record, and reapply board changes automatically as they happen.
Track Kentucky Psychologist CE free →Kentucky Psychologist CE: frequently asked questions
How many CE hours do Kentucky Psychologist licensees need?
Kentucky requires 39 continuing education hours every 3 years to renew a Psychologist license. Triennial cycle: counted from your license anniversary.
How many ethics hours are required for Kentucky Psychologist licensees?
Of the total, 3 hours must be in ethics or risk management.
How often do Kentucky Psychologist licensees renew?
Triennial cycle: counted from your license anniversary.
How much does Kentucky Psychologist license renewal cost?
The board's renewal fee is $795 every 3 years, per the Kentucky board fee schedule. Renewing late adds a $100 delinquency fee on top. CE course costs are separate and set by course providers.
Are there subject-specific CE requirements for Kentucky Psychologist licensees?
Yes. In addition to ethics, Kentucky requires 3 hours of social and cultural factors.
Is the first renewal different for new Kentucky Psychologist 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
- Kentucky board rule
- Last verified
- August 2026
- Ruleset version
- 2026.1
Reviewed against the Kentucky 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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What to keep for a CE audit
What boards ask for in a CE audit, how long each state says to keep certificates, what the notice looks like, and a printable checklist.
Kentucky mental health workforce data
18,646 active providers, or 404.7 per 100,000 residents, ranked 29 of 51. County density map and free CSV downloads.
Other Kentucky CE requirement pages
Psychologist CE requirements in other states
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