State licensing boards update CE requirements more frequently than most therapists realize. A requirement that didn't exist at your last renewal may be mandatory at your next one. A provider that was approved two years ago may have lost its approval. A mandatory topic requirement may have been added, modified, or clarified. This annual roundup covers the CE requirement changes most relevant to mental health professionals in 2025–2026, organized by what changed, who it affects, and what you need to do about it.
What Changed in 2026
The most significant changes affecting mental health CE in the 2025–2026 cycle fall into three categories. First, mandatory training expansions: Virginia added a 3-hour technology and telehealth ethics requirement effective January 2025 for all mental health licensees (LPC, LCSW, LMFT, LMHC). Maryland added 3 hours of telehealth competency CE for LCSWs, effective July 2025. Minnesota expanded its implicit bias requirement from 2 hours to 4 hours per renewal cycle for all licensed mental health professionals, effective January 2026. Second, provider approval changes: New York's Education Department updated its approved provider list in late 2024, removing several previously approved national platforms. Therapists who used those providers for ethics CE may have credits that no longer qualify. Third, counseling compact expansion: six additional states ratified the interstate counseling compact in 2025 — Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Montana, and Wyoming — bringing the total to 28 member states. Compact member states have specific CE implications for privilege holders practicing across state lines.
Who This Affects
The Virginia telehealth requirement affects every licensed mental health professional in the state — LPCs, LCSWs, LMFTs, and LMHCs alike — regardless of whether they currently practice telehealth. The rationale from the Virginia Board of Counseling: telehealth competency is now considered a baseline professional skill, not a specialty. If your renewal falls in 2025 or 2026, you need to add a qualifying 3-hour telehealth ethics course to your CE plan. The Maryland telehealth change is LCSW-specific. The Minnesota implicit bias expansion affects therapists who were planning to recycle a 2-hour course from a previous cycle — the 2-hour course now doesn't satisfy the 4-hour requirement. For New York, the provider change affects therapists who completed ethics CE through platforms now removed from the approved list. These credits won't count for the current renewal cycle and will need to be replaced. The compact expansion affects therapists considering or currently holding compact privilege in newly joined states.
When Changes Take Effect
Understanding effective dates matters because they affect whether a current renewal cycle is impacted. Virginia's telehealth requirement: effective January 1, 2025. If your renewal date is in 2025 or later, you're subject to the requirement. If your renewal was in 2024 and you've already submitted, you're not affected for that cycle. Maryland's LCSW telehealth requirement: effective July 1, 2025. Applies to renewal cycles beginning on or after that date. Minnesota's expanded implicit bias requirement: effective January 1, 2026. Applies to renewal cycles with deadlines in 2026 or later. New York provider approval changes: effective November 2024. Credits completed before that date through previously approved providers remain valid if they were completed and documented before the deadline. Credits completed after the deadline through removed providers do not count. The compact ratifications in Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Montana, and Wyoming became effective at different points in 2025 — check the CSWC website for the specific effective date in each state.
What You Need to Do Now
For Virginia therapists: add a 3-hour telehealth ethics course to your next renewal's CE plan. Confirm the course explicitly covers legal and ethical standards for telehealth practice, not just technology tools. PESI, NetCE, and the American Counseling Association all offer qualifying courses. For Maryland LCSWs: add the telehealth competency requirement to your current CE plan if your next renewal falls after July 2025. For Minnesota therapists: if you completed a 2-hour implicit bias course for a previous cycle and planned to reuse it, that course now needs to be supplemented with an additional 2 hours of qualifying training. The combined 4 hours must be completed within the current renewal cycle — prior-cycle hours don't carry over. For New York therapists: pull your ethics CE certificates from the last renewal cycle and verify that the provider appears on the current (2024-updated) NYS Education Department approved provider list. If any certificates are from providers that have been removed, plan to complete a replacement course from a currently approved provider. For therapists considering compact privilege: check the CSWC's current member state list and review the CE requirements for any state where you're seeking privilege.
What Remains Uncertain
Several proposed changes have not yet been finalized as of the publication date of this post. California has a proposed rule change that would add a mandatory 2-hour course on racial equity in mental health practice to LCSW and LMFT renewal requirements — this was in public comment period in late 2025 and had not been finalized. Florida is in the process of updating its HIV/AIDS CE requirement, potentially replacing the standalone 3-hour requirement with a broader cultural health equity CE mandate — no implementation date has been confirmed. Several compact states are working on uniform CE hour standards that would apply to compact privilege holders, but no specific requirement structure has been finalized. The safest approach: follow your state board's email newsletter or check the board website quarterly for proposed rule changes.
Your Next Steps
CE requirement changes catch therapists off-guard most often when they assume their last renewal's rules still apply. Build a habit of checking your state board's CE requirements page at the start of each renewal cycle, not just at the end. For the specific 2026 changes: Virginia and Maryland therapists should add telehealth CE to current plans immediately. Minnesota therapists should verify their implicit bias hours meet the new 4-hour standard. New York therapists should audit their ethics provider approvals now. HYR GrowthTracker updates its state requirement database when board rules change — start your free 14-day trial and the system will flag automatically if your logged CE doesn't satisfy updated requirements.