Somewhere online right now, there's a therapist completing a CE course from a provider that isn't approved in their state. They don't know it yet. They'll find out when the deficiency notice arrives after renewal, at which point they'll have to complete qualifying replacement hours with little time to spare. This situation is preventable with a 10-minute verification process that most therapists skip because they assume CE providers they've heard of are automatically approved everywhere. They're not.
Why This Matters
CE provider approval is state-specific and license-specific. A provider holding NBCC approval may be accepted for LPC renewal in 44 states but not in a state that requires its own state board approval. A provider with ASWB approval may be accepted for LCSW renewal but not for LMFT renewal in the same state. A provider that was approved two years ago may have had its approval lapse or may have been removed from a state's accepted list. None of this is obvious from the provider's website — many providers list approvals prominently without specifying which states those approvals cover or noting when approvals have lapsed. The only way to be certain a course will count for your renewal is to verify the approval chain yourself, for your specific license type and state, before enrolling.
Prerequisites
You need three pieces of information before you can verify a CE provider. First: the name of the approval body the provider holds (NBCC, ASWB, APA, state-specific, or other). This should appear on the provider's website and on each course description — if it doesn't, stop. Second: the provider's approval number from that body. Legitimate CE providers publish their approval numbers. If a provider can't give you a specific approval number, their approval claim is unverified. Third: the accepted approval bodies for your state and license type. This is a list you should pull from your state board's website and save — it's the reference document for all future CE verification.
Step 1: Check the Approval Body
On the CE provider's course listing or "about" page, locate the approval body and approval number. A legitimate provider statement looks like: "PESI Inc. is approved by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 5896." The approval number is verifiable. Go to the approval body's website and look for their provider directory or approved provider search. NBCC's approved provider search is at nbcc.org/search/approved-providers. ASWB's list is at aswb.org/licensees/ce/approved-provider-list/. APA's sponsor list is at apa.org/education-career/ce/sponsor-directory. Search for the provider by name or approval number and confirm the approval is current and active. If the provider doesn't appear in the approval body's directory, their approval claim is invalid.
Step 2: Verify State Acceptance
Finding the provider in NBCC's directory confirms they hold NBCC approval — but NBCC approval isn't accepted everywhere. Now you need to verify that NBCC approval is accepted in your state for your license type. Go to your state board's website and locate the CE requirements document or the "approved CE provider" page. This document should list which approval bodies the state accepts. Most states accept NBCC and ASWB for relevant license types. Some states (New York, California for some requirements) have additional or exclusive requirements. If your state accepts NBCC, and the provider is in NBCC's active provider directory, the provider is approved for your renewal — subject to the next step.
Step 3: Confirm Course-Level Approval
Provider-level approval doesn't automatically extend to every course a provider offers. Some providers have blanket course approval under their provider credential. Others have course-by-course approval where each course must be individually approved. NBCC-approved providers with ACE (Approved CE) status have all their courses approved automatically. NBCC-approved providers with ACEP (Approved Continuing Education Provider) status have provider-level approval but courses must individually meet requirements. PESI holds ACEP status, which means their provider approval is broad. NetCE holds ACE status, which means all their courses are individually pre-approved. When in doubt, look for the approval language on the specific course description page, not just the provider's general approval page. The course description should state something like "This course is approved for X hours of CE by [approval body] for [license type]." If the course description doesn't specify the CE credit award, ask before purchasing.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Four provider verification mistakes are extremely common. First: relying on a CE aggregator site's claim that a course is approved without verifying against the primary source. Third-party CE directories sometimes contain outdated or inaccurate approval information. Always verify at the approval body's official directory. Second: assuming approval in your state based on a provider you've used before. Approval statuses change — a provider you used in 2022 may have different approval status in 2026. Re-verify at each purchase. Third: confusing "accepted" with "required format." A course from an approved provider in a state that requires 50% live CE still won't satisfy the live CE requirement if it's a self-study format. Provider approval and format requirements are separate checks. Fourth: not saving the course description page with approval information. If your approval information is ever questioned, having the original course description that listed the approval number and CE hours is important documentation.
Your Next Move
For every CE course you're currently enrolled in or planning to purchase: verify the provider's approval body, confirm that approval body is accepted in your state for your license type, and save the course description page with approval information to your records alongside the completion certificate.
Your Next Steps
CE provider verification takes 10 minutes per purchase and eliminates the risk of non-qualifying credits. Build it into your course purchase process as a non-negotiable step. HYR GrowthTracker maintains a database of provider approvals by state and license type, flagging when a course provider you've logged isn't accepted in your state — start your free 14-day trial to verify your current CE log.